History of Yishun
Before understanding the Masterplan, you’ll need the history. Yishun, named after Lim Nee Soon was like many other places in Singapore at that time; home to rubber and pineapple plantations. Development of Yishun began in 1976 with the first HDB flats built in the Chong Pang area.
Planning areas include subzones like Yishun South, Yishun West, Yishun East, Yishun Central, Nee Soon, Springleaf, Lower Seletar, Northland and Khatib. Nee Soon and Springleaf has the most number of private housing in Yishun.
Important landmarks in Yishun
– Northpoint City, the largest mall in northern Singapore, is located next to Yishun MRT station. It’s home to Golden Village (GV) Cinema. Opened in 1992, it was the first GV cinema and the largest in Singapore.
– Chong Pang city, located in Neighbourhood 1 has shophouses, a hawker centre, a market and several big retailers like Giant, MacDonald’s and Watsons. It also has many family-run businesses.
– ORTO (formerly Bottle Tree Park) is Singapore’s most multi-recreational leisure park with facilities for prawning, fishing and drift-carting. Corporate events and weddings can be held there as well.
– Springleaf Park opened on Nov 1st is home to over 80 species of birds. There’s an observation deck for bird watchers. In addition, the park is roughly 1.2km, and starts from Upper Thomson to Lentor Avenue where it encircles a canal. Since it’s opening, Springleaf has matured into a proper waterside park and has become a popular location for not just bird watchers but joggers and cyclists as well.
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Yishun in the next 10 years
At a relatively 40-odd year old, Yishun is considered a young town albeit one that has seen rapid gentrification over the past few years. Despite the outlandish things reported in the news about Yishun, it’s been a district of many firsts – such as the first to initiate a programme that allows cat in HDB flats.
The government’s masterplan put forth in 2013 for the next five years thereafter laid the groundwork for what Yishun will look like come 2019. Here are the things you can expect to see:
– A community hospital to compliment Khoo Teck Puat
– Two nursing homes along Yishun Central and Yishun Ring Road
– Eateries and retail outlets to be developed near housing estates
– Additional childcare facilities
– A foreign school to be developed in Yishun Avenue 6
– Springleaf MRT station along the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) will provide Springleaf residents direct access to an MRT
– Cycling routes and park connectors are to be developed/improved to enable convenient access to MRT stations and amenities
– Yishun bus interchange; a redeveloped complex to cater to the growing population
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The Guru View
These additions bring value to the residents in Yishun by elevating the district to be more convenient and accessible for the many generations of people who call it home. Value of the homes will undoubtedly increase but hopefully, not so much that it becomes an impediment to new couples trying to get onto the property ladder.
