Seletar, Yio Chu Kang (District 28)

District 28 which is made up of Seletar and part of Yio Chu Kang forms historically rich grounds for history and culture enthusiasts as the British naval and air bases were once housed here. The Seletar Aerospace Park will be built here to reflect this very remnant of history, and to serve Singapore’s aviation industries. Landed properties including semi-detached houses and bungalows are commonly found here and can be said to be rather secluded from the other urbanised parts of the district.

Seletar acquires one of the older local-place names and refers to the aboriginal coastal dwellers living along the orang Seletar River and at the edge of the Johor Straits. It has since been dammed up to develop what is known today as the Lower Seletar Reservoir. During the pre-colonial era, Abu Bakar of Johor had been historically said to have asked these coastal dwellers to shift to Sungai Pulai in southwest Johor. Seletar basically means “koon kung” in Chinese or naval base. In modern Singapore history in 1929, the Seletar Air Base was built and used by international airlines like KLM, Empire Airways and British Imperial Airways for the next 9 years. Currently, it is used as a training centre for aspiring Singaporean pilots of the Singapore Youth Flying Club. Seletar is also known as a favourite spot for nature lovers as it encompasses Lower Seletar Resevoir Park and the Upper Seletar Resevoir. The Seletar Base Golf Course and the Seletar Country Club Golf Course are also located here.

Yio Chu Kang that forms part of District 28 is a residential zone which is abound with historical richness. Initially, it was a major gambier and pepper plantation area, forming a stark contrast with the main residential district we have today that consists of low density housing and high-rise apartments. Main highlights of Yio Chu Kang are the Himalayan Centre for Yoga Meditation; and MINDS (Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore).