Historical Origins
The name 'Sengkang', meaning "prosperous harbour" in Chinese, comes from a road called Lorong Sengkang, situated off Lorong Buangkok. In the old days, fishing villages, rubber and pepper plantations flourished in the area. There was once a fishing port located along Sungei Serangoon, hence this area was also formerly known as Kangkar (GangJiao) or "foot of the port".

Location and Layout
Sengkang is located in the North-Eastern Region of Singapore. It is bounded by Seletar / Punggol Town to the north; Ang Mo Kio Town to the south-west; Hougang Town; and Serangoon Town to the south and Paya Lebar / Pasir Ris Town to the east.



Transport Facilites
Sengkang Town is well-linked to other parts of Singapore by the Tampines Expressway (TPE) and the new Kallang/Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) connecting residents between Punggol, Sengkang and the rest of Singapore.

Sengkang Town is also served by the North-East MRT Line (NEL) via Buangkok Station and Sengkang station.

In addition, town residents enjoy a comprehensive Light Rapid Transit (LRT) system that is integrated with Sengkang Station. In fact, Sengkang is the first LRT town where the LRT had been planned together with the town right from the start. The Sengkang LRT system is 10.3 km long, with 13 stations. The LRT system runs in 2 loops - one serving the eastern part of the town and the other serving the western area.

With the NEL and LRT, a trip to the Orchard Road area will take just 35 minutes, about the time it would take to travel by car during off peak hours, and even faster than the 45 minutes it would take if travelling by car during peak hours.



Housing Options
The planned total housing stock for Sengkang Town is about 82,000 units comprising of nearly 88% high density housing.

Home buyers can look forward to living along the scenic riverfronts of Sungei Serangoon and Sungei Punggol. They can also expect to travel with ease to other parts of Singapore from homes built near the NEL and future CCL transit stations.


Town Amenities & Attractions
What is special in the Sengkang Town Centre is that it boasts an integrated transport hub with MRT/LRT/Bus Interchange under one roof, together with comprehensive residential/commercial/entertainment/shopping developments.

Apart from Punggol, Sengkang is one of the first two towns in Singapore where the co-location and clustering of a mix of community facilities have been planned from the onset with community bonding in mind. At Sengkang Square, a community club is co-located with a neighbourhood police centre, Sengkang Polyclinic, Sengkang Community Library (inside Compass Point Shopping Centre), Compass Heights (a residential complex) and a Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association office. With this clustering concept, town residents enjoy better access and one-stop convenience to community services.

Other shopping complexes in Sengkang New Town include Rivervale Plaza (the very first shopping complex in Sengkang) and Rivervale Mall. These facilities are readily accessible by LRT.

Residents will also get to enjoy more choices for leisure and recreation with the upcoming sports complex. Slated for completion by mid-2005, it boasts a galore of facilities, like a swimming complex, an outdoor sports stadium with an eight-lane synthetic track, a multi-purpose field, and an indoor multi-purpose sports hall complete with a fitness gymnasium. A new community club will be co-located with this new sports complex, with facilities such as a multi-purpose hall, a function hall, a dance studio and a food & beverage outlet.

To ensure that there will always be more parks close to homes, a 20ha riverine park at Sungei Punggol in Sengkang is in the plan. Sengkang Town Park and several linear neighbourhood parks will have park connectors located on the banks of Sungei Punggol and Sungei Serangoon. Bicycle paths and jogging tracks along these park connectors will link residents in Sengkang with the Punggol Town Park to the south and the Coney Island Regional Park to the north.



Quality Education
A new junior college is planned for the town, with a 6-ha site set aside at the junction of Tampines Expressway and Sengkang East Road. Located near a new sports complex and a new riverine park, it will offer its students a wider range of sports and outdoor facilities.

Some of the secondary schools in the locality include CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent, Compassvale Secondary School, Nan Chiau High School, North Vista Secondary School and Sengkang Secondary School.

The primary schools include Compassvale Primary School, Nan Chiau Primary School, North Spring Primary School, Rivervale Primary School and Sengkang Primary School.