Seletar | |
|---|---|
| Other transcription(s) | |
| • Malay | Seletar(Rumi) سلتار(Jawi) |
| • Chinese | 实里达(Simplified) 實里達(Traditional) Shílǐdá(Pinyin) Si̍t-lí-ta̍t(HokkienPOJ) |
| • Tamil | சிலேத்தார் Cilēttār(Transliteration) |
 Location of Seletar in Singapore | |
.svg)  Seletar Location of Seletar within Singapore | |
| Coordinates:1°24′19.2″N103°51′58.6″E / 1.405333°N 103.866278°E /1.405333; 103.866278 | |
| Country |  Singapore |
| Region | North-East Region |
| CDC | |
| Town council |
|
| Constituency | |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Central Singapore CDC |
| • Members of Parliament | Ang Mo Kio GRC |
| Area | |
• Total | 10.25 km2 (3.96 sq mi) |
| • Residential | 7.23 km2 (2.79 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Total | 300 |
| • Density | 29/km2 (76/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Official
|
| Postal district | 28 |
Seletar (/səˈliːtɑːr/sə-LEE-tar) is an area located in the north-east of Singapore. Its name can also refer to theSeletar Planning Area (as defined by theUrban Redevelopment Authority), situated in theNorth-East Region of Singapore. The place name was derived from the Malay subgroup who were indigenous to the area, theOrang Seletar. It shares boundaries with the planning areas ofSengkang to the south,Punggol to the east,Yishun andSimpang to the west, as well as theStraits of Johor to the north.
Formerly Royal Air Force Station SeletarRoyal Air Forcemilitary airfield site, the area now houses a newS$60 millionSeletar Aerospace Park that spans 140 hectares. Theaerospace park houses industries specialising inaircraft maintenance and repair services.[3][4] There are future plans to transform Seletar into one of the Singapore's regional centres, along withJurong East,Tampines andWoodlands. Once the transformation is complete, Seletar will be known as the only regional centre without a single MRT line passing through it, unlike its other regional rivals who have multiple MRT lines. The recent introduction of newer residential property and retail malls, most notably Greenwich V and Seletar Mall,[5] Parc Botannia at Fernvale, Luxus Hill, Belgravia Ace[6] and Parc Greenwich has served well in rejuvenating the Seletar area, with further plans to increase BTO flats supply in the area serve to create additional housing options for people working in the Aerospace Park.
According to the bookDown the Seletar River: Discovering a Hidden Treasure of Singapore, Seletar generally refers to a region defined by thePonggol River to the east, theSeletar River to the west,Ang Mo Kio to the south and theStraits of Johore to the north. It includes the areas coveringYio Chu Kang,Jalan Kayu,Lower Seletar Reservoir and a part ofUpper Thomson.[7]
Seletar Planning Area, as defined by theUrban Redevelopment Authority, shares a land boundary with planning areas ofSengkang to the south, riverine boundaries withPunggol to the east andYishun to the west. Its northern boundary is made up by theStraits of Johor.[8][9] Seletar Planning Area is officially divided into 4 subzones – Seletar, Seletar Aerospace Park, Pulau Punggol Barat and Pulau Punggol Timor.
The area was home to the indigenousMalay population, especially theOrang Seletar (Malay forSeletar people) - a subgroup ofMalay sea gypsies living on the waters of the island. There were already hundreds of them even before the arrival of Raffles. Seletar was originally a rubber plantation estate owned and managed by the Singapore United Rubber Plantations Ltd. In 1923, the Straits Settlement government bought 600 acres (2.4 km2) from the Singapore United Rubber Plantations Ltd and gave it to the BritishRoyal Air Force as a site for its military air base in Singapore.[10] Construction of the airfield was completed in 1929 and it was officially opened in 1930. The airfield was the first RAF base east of India and had also served as a civilian airport until 1937, whenKallang Airport was opened to the public.[11]
The Seletar Reservoir (now known asUpper Seletar Reservoir), was first built in 1920, after the First World War to cope with the water demand in Singapore. It was marked as a conservation site in August 1999.[12]
The area is also dotted with colonial bungalows that were built for the military personnel of the RAF, which still stands today. In 2007, the government announced that some 174 bungalows has been set aside for demolition to make way for the new Seletar Aerospace Park, while the remaining 204 bungalows will be retained and some of these units will be converted into aerospace training schools and food and beverage outlets, while 131 units will be set aside for residential use.[13]