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Toa Payoh | |
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| Other transcription(s) | |
| • Chinese | 大巴窑(Simplified) 大巴窯(Traditional) Dàbāyáo(Pinyin) Tōa Pa-iô(HokkienPOJ) |
| • Malay | Toa Payoh |
| • Tamil | தோ பாயோ Tō pāyō(Transliteration) |
      From top left to right: Toa Payoh Town Centre; Lorong 6 Toa Payoh;Toa Payoh MRT station; Toa Payoh at night withBishan andSerangoon in the distance;Toa Payoh Bus Interchange;Toa Payoh Town Park | |
 Location in Central Region | |
.svg)  Toa Payoh Location of Toa Payoh within Singapore | |
| Coordinates:1°20′03″N103°51′23″E / 1.3343°N 103.8563°E /1.3343; 103.8563 | |
| Country |  Singapore |
| Region | Central Region |
| CDC | |
| Town councils |
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| Constituencies | |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Central Singapore CDC South East CDC |
| • Members of Parliament | Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC Potong Pasir SMC Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC |
| Area | |
• Total | 8.17 km2 (3.15 sq mi) |
| • Residential | 2.48 km2 (0.96 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 7.94 m (26.0 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 142,220 |
| • Density | 17,400/km2 (45,100/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Official
|
| Postal districts | 11, 12, 13 |
| Dwelling units | 36,439 |
| Projected ultimate | 61,000 |
Toa Payoh (IPA:/ˌt(w)ɔːˈpɑːjoʊ,ˌtoʊ-/tawPAH-yoh ortoh-,Chinese:大巴窑 / 大巴窯,Tamil:தோ பாயோ) is aplanning area andresidential town located in the northern part of theCentral Region ofSingapore.[4][5] Toa Payoh planning area bordersBishan andSerangoon to the north, theCentral Water Catchment to the northwest,Kallang to the south,Geylang to the southeast,Novena to the west andHougang to the east. Toa Payoh New Town is situated in the western portion of the Toa Payoh planning area. The latter occupies a much larger area, encompassing estates such asPotong Pasir andBidadari.
Toa Payoh planning area consists of 12 subzones:Bidadari, Boon Teck, Braddell, Joo Seng, Kim Keat, Lorong 8 Toa Payoh, Pei Chun,Potong Pasir, Sennett, Toa Payoh Central, Toa Payoh West and Woodleigh.
Toa Payoh, inHokkien, translates as "big swamp" (withtoa meaning "big" andpayoh meaning "swamp"). TheMalay word for swamp ispaya. It is the Chinese equivalent ofPaya Lebar, which translates to "big swamp land".
Toa Payoh's old Chinese name, was known asAng Chiang San (alternativelyAn Xiang Shan) or "burial hill". The area was called as such because of the presence of an old cemetery located in the area.
John Turnbull Thomson, a governmentsurveyor, refers to Toa Payoh in his 1849 agricultural report asToah Pyoh Lye andToah Pyoh.
Unique to housing estates in Singapore, roads in Toa Payoh are given Malay-languagestreet prefixes, (e.g."Jalan Toa Payoh", "Lorong Satu Toa Payoh") as when the town was conceived,Singapore was a state of Malaysia.[6]
Toa Payoh was once an extensive and notorioussquatter district. Most squatters were engaged in farming and rearing pigs. The others werehawkers, factory workers, mechanics ordomestic helpers.
The squatters started moving out in 1962 as a result of increased compensation rates and other practical inducements offered by the Government. Clearance work was able to commence and the redevelopment started in early 1964.
Toa Payoh New Town is Singapore's second oldest satellite town and the first to be built by theHousing and Development Board after the development ofQueenstown by theSingapore Improvement Trust in the late 1950s. Before its time as a residential town, Toa Payoh was a squatter district, with a prominent agricultural heritage in the area.[7]
Throughout the 1960s up till the beginning of the 1980s, the town, much likeGeylang today, was infamous for its vice, being home to some of Singapore's largest crime syndicates and gangs. Notable cases such as theToa Payoh ritual murders of 1981, in which people were murdered and stuffed into barrels, brought the town widespread attention. As such, Toa Payoh has also been coined by the media as the "Chicago of the East" and the "Chicago of Singapore".[7]
Queen Elizabeth II visited Toa Payoh in 1972 (Block53 Lorong 5 Toa Payoh)[8][9] and 2006 (Block 7, Toa Payoh).
The layout of the new town followsurban planning principles of the time. The housing estate is self-contained and has a town centre acting as a focal point for the shopping and entertainment needs of the residents.
Industrial developments were also built within the town to provide residents with job opportunities close to home while schools were built within the neighbourhoods.
The town centre was the first prototype in Singapore. It is surrounded by separated neighbourhoods, each with its own shopping amenities and community centres, well served by a network of vehicular roads and generous open space separating them. The result, as in the Englishnew towns of the 1950s, is that residents tend less to travel to the main town centre but rather to shop within their neighbourhood; if they travel, they would go to the city via theMRT system, at theToa Payoh andBraddell MRT stations, or public bus services atToa Payoh Bus Interchange.
Nevertheless, with time, the Toa Payoh Town Centre has become increasingly popular. It has a busy atmosphere because, as with many shopping malls of the time, all commercial activities are concentrated along a single mall with high point blocks on either side and major department stores at each end. The shopping mall is actually L-shaped and there are two plazas, one with a branch library and cinema, the other with an area office and a post office. Each plaza has a department store at either end.
The commercial development,HDB Hub, located at the Toa Payoh Town Centre was completed in 2002. TheHousing and Development Board relocated its headquarters from its premises atBukit Merah to the HDB Hub on 10 June 2002. The HDB Hub comprises two wings, an atrium, four commercial building blocks, a leisure and learning centre and a three-storey basement parking lot. The building also accommodates Singapore's first fully air-conditionedToa Payoh Bus Interchange and integrates it with the existingToa Payoh MRT station.
Another landmark of Toa Payoh is the facility of Royal Philips Electronics (the Dutch multinational making medical and electronics equipment). Philips established an extensive facility, parts of which are now owned by Jabil and NXP. The facility has been used by Philips for developing, amongst others, televisions and DVD players for years.
An interesting landmark in Toa Payoh Central is a small tree shrine known asCi Ern Ge Temple. This shrine goes back to the kampong days before the town was set up. It is currently managed by Toa Payoh Central Merchants’ Association (TPCMA).[10][11]
The Housing and Development Board decided to allocate a large area of Toa Payoh for a garden-landscaped park, the Toa Payoh Town Garden, despite the pressure on land here for housing.
The town garden used to be popular with visitors who came from near and far to enjoy the display of willows, bamboos and the brilliant reds and yellows of theDelonix regia trees. At the heart of the garden is a 0.8 ha carp pond which contains a waterfall and a cluster of islands linked by bridges. The islands are arranged to provide a sequence of delightful walking experiences not only by day but also by night when the garden is lit. The garden is buffered from the noise and night-time glare of passing traffic along Jalan Toa Payoh by an elevated slope planted with thick rows ofAngsanas. There are also a children's playground, seating areas and outdoor chessboard, a tea kiosk and a 27-metre high viewing tower.
Toa Payoh Town Park was partially closed in 1999 to make way for a temporary bus interchange. After the newToa Payoh Bus Interchange at the HDB Hub was completed in June 2002, the temporary bus interchange was converted to a landscaped park. Toa Payoh Town Garden was subsequently renamed as Toa Payoh Town Park.
Located along Lorong 5 Toa Payoh, the Toa Payoh Sensory Park covers an area of 1.1 ha (2.7 acres). Designed to engage visitors' senses, the park is divided into five zones based on the five senses.[12] Designed by Surbana International and Yoshisuke Miyake, and inspired by similar parks in Japan, the park was first announced in December 2007,[13] and was completed in October 2009 at a cost of S$3.5 million.[14]
The sporting facilities are based in the southern central part of Toa Payoh, which is located near the town centre. It includes the 3,500-seatToa Payoh Stadium, whereSingapore Premier League clubBalestier Khalsa FC plays its home games.Toa Payoh Sports Hall is located besides the stadium, as well as the Singapore Table Tennis Association Academy. Meanwhile, there is alsoToa Payoh Swimming Complex, where national swimming athletes train.
Besides these facilities located in the centre of the town, there are alsostreet football courts, gym facilities and basketball courts available at various neighbourhoods of Toa Payoh. Meanwhile,SAFRA clubhouse is located besides Toa Payoh Stadium.
Most of the Toa Payoh planning area is entirely located within theBishan-Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency, while a portion of Lorong 8 Toa Payoh was in thePotong Pasir Single Member Constituency prior to 2020. The eastern areas of Toa Payoh, which consist of the subdivisions ofBidadari andJoo Seng, now belong to both the Potong Pasir SMC and the Geylang Serai division of theMarine Parade-Braddell Heights Group Representation Constituency.
The section which is part of Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC is divided into three divisions — Toa Payoh Central, Toa Payoh East and Toa Payoh West-Thomson, which MPs areCai Yinzhou,Saktiandi Supaat andChee Hong Tat, respectively. The other members of parliament areAlex Yeo andDiana Pang. All five aforementioned MPs are from thePeople's Action Party.
Bartley Primary School and Elling Primary School were closed and demolished, Cedar Boys with Cedar Girls Primary School were merged to Cedar Primary School.
When MacPherson Primary School also closed and demolished, MacPherson Primary School and students will joined Cedar Primary School in 2019. Cedar Primary School will simply began to build new annex block B, New annex block B completed construction in 2019.
Toa Payoh Central has a circular road layout, designed to reduce direct routes through neighbourhoods.[15]
Toa Payoh planning area is bordered by Braddell Road to the northwest,Bartley Road to the northeast, Upper Paya Lebar Road to the east, thePan Island Expressway (PIE) to the south, andThomson Road to the west. TheCentral Expressway (CTE) also runs through the median of the planning area, separating the central neighbourhood fromPotong Pasir.
There are sixMRT stations that serve Toa Payoh planning area across four lines–North–South Line,North East Line,Circle Line, andThomson–East Coast Line. They are:
The under-planningSeletar Line will also run through the planning area. Details on station(s) alignment are yet to be finalised.
The currentToa Payoh Bus Interchange opened in May 2002 as the first air-conditioned bus interchange and Integrated Transport Hub (ITH) in the country.Woodleigh Bus Interchange and ITH opened in 20 April 2025.
Toa Payoh New Town has around 10.8 km (6.7 mi) of cycling paths, completed in October 2025.[16] This is in addition to the existingpark connector (PC) running alongKallang River towardsBishan to the north andMarina Bay to the south.
Another 7.7 km (4.8 mi) of cycling paths are being built in phases since 2024 in the eastern subzones of Woodleigh,Potong Pasir,Bidadari, Sennett andJoo Seng, which will be completed by 2030.[17] The first phase, involving 2.7 km (1.7 mi) of cycling paths, will be completed by end-2025.[18]
A planned PC running along the southern edge of Toa Payoh New Town towardsCaldecott MRT station will connect the town toMacRitchie Reservoir.[19]
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Neighbouring areas | |
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