Singapore Region Guide - Serangoon

Serangoon in District 19 is popular for residential purposes. This region is situated in the central part of Singapore, within the North-eastern region of Singapore’s main landmass. The town centre is popularly known as Serangoon Central. There are four sub-zones in Serangoon, mainly Seletar Hills, Serangoon North, Serangoon Garden, and Serangoon Central. These are dotted with mainly private and public housing estates.

This area is the target of a comprehensive future enlargement project. The area surrounding Serangoon Road is popularly known as Little India.

The chief inhabitants of Serangoon Central were the Indian community who settled here from 1826. They worked in the brick kilns and cattle industries located in the region. This region has grown to be the cradle of Indians settlement in Singapore. Its residents were typically engaged in the retail industry and various other professions. Up to the 1960s, the region mainly consisted of villages, rubber plantations, and other agricultural enterprises. With the overall development of Singapore, however, Serangoon Central has modernized at breakneck pace.

Governmental plans to improve the area have been successful and Serangoon Central is now a region fully equipped with all the facilities that support modern and luxurious living. The Serangoon Planning Area, which is an urban planning zone, falls under the Urban Redevelopment Authority. This covers the entire Serangoon New Town and the privileged estates of Serangoon Gardens. This is bounded by Ang Mo Kio and Hougang. Many HDB apartments have emerged in Serangoon Central, and are well-equipped with all the facilities needed for maintaining a modern, lavish lifestyle.

Serangoon Central is primarily a residential area. However, in recent years, development of tourism has been observed in this region. Various beautiful locations in the region attract a large number of tourists each year.

The popular places to visit in Serangoon Central are:

• Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple – Situated in the southern part of Singapore on the Serangoon Road, it is the one of the most admired Hindu temples in Singapore. The Temple, constructed in the style of South Indian Tamil temples, was built more than a century ago and underwent reconstruction from the years 1984 to 1987. The Temple is dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Kali and Parvati, Lord Shiva’s wife. There are images of the goddess in the temple of Kali wearing a garland of skulls and tearing out the demons. The temple also has images of Kali sharing undisturbed moments with her sons Ganesh and Murugan.

• Little India Shopping Area – This unique attraction of Singapore is also a world famous shopping zone. This place has rows of old shophouses that sell specialty Indian items that range from spices and flowers to wedding costumes. Some of the artefacts that are found in this shopping area bring to light the richness of Indian culture.

• Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall – It was built in honour of the Chinese revolutionary alliance in Southeast Asia known as Wan Qing Yuan which overthrew the Qing dynasty’s rule. There is a large garden with many bronze sculptures. There are also two levels of galleries that can be found within this property.

Shopping / Dining

There are good shopping facilities in Serangoon Central, with a number of malls and markets catering to the local needs. Residents can find all commodities required for day to day living. Items may range from grocery items to sophisticated electronics goods.

Some of the famous shopping malls found in Serangoon Central are:

• Serangoon Plaza – Being one of the biggest and the most reputable shopping malls in the country, this mall houses a large number of stores of different varieties. There are specialty stores for clothes, bags, jewellery, food, furniture, books, electronics, and many other things. This mall also has many Indian restaurants serving great Indian food.

• Nex – Serangoon’s newest, ultra-modern six-level mall is home to Isetan, Popular, Wendy’s, and BreadTalk, as well as other shops and restaurants. Probably the most pet-friendly mall in Singapore, Nex features a dog run in the roof-top park.

In sync with the spirit of the rest of Singapore, Serangoon also boasts of a wide spread of delicacies. Restaurants providing Japanese food, desserts, Russian cuisine, and Western cuisines are available in plenty in this region.

Some of the well known restaurants found in Serangoon Central are:
• Sri Saktivilas Foods
• French Stall
• Bombay Magic Restaurant
• Xing Hua Restaurant
• Stiff Chilli

The facilities required for a modern lifestyle are abundant in Serangoon Central. There are a good number of banks, ATMs, clinics, hospitals, small businesses, and pubs that cater to local needs. Some of the famous hospitals situated in this region are the Singapore Cancer Society, Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital, Parkway Health Day Surgery & Medical Centre, National Skin Centre, and HCA Hospice Care. Reputable banks such as MayBank, United Overseas Bank (UOB) and OCBC have their branches in this region.

Security of the residents of Serangoon Central is ensured by police stations and police posts situated at important locations, such as Kallang, Whampoa, Kolam Ayer, Cairnhill and Rochor.

Serangoon Central is well connected with the whole of Singapore. The Serangoon MRT station is an underground station and is heavily used during peak periods. This station is located in the Serangoon Central area, at the junction of Upper Serangoon Road and Serangoon Central. Other nearby stations are Kovan, Bartley & Hougang.

The Serangoon Bus Interchange is a bus station operated by SBS (Singapore Bus Services) Transit. It caters to the residents of Serangoon New Town and lies within walking distance from the Serangoon MRT Station. A number of bus services going to the city area go through the Serangoon bus interchange.

Education

The schools in Serangoon Central are:
• Serangoon Secondary School
• Serangoon Garden School
• Saint Gabriel’s Secondary School
• Serangoon Garden Technical School
• Serangoon Garden Secondary School
• Peicai Secondary School