Kembangan is a residential area in the eastern part of Singapore, lying between Bedok and Geylang and north of the Katong area. It consists largely of private residential areas and a small public housing estate at Lengkong Tiga. The area is served by the East West MRT Line at the Kembangan MRT Station. It also compromises of the Computer Museum built at the Jalan Lapang area (35 - 40 Jalan Lapang), being built in 2008-10 as a temporary makeshift areas.
Etymology[]
Kembangan means "expansion" in Malay. The road Jalan Kembangan was officially named in 1932.
History[]
Kembangan along with the wider Geylang district was badly hit by the September 1964 race riots and schools in the area had to be closed for an extended period despite other schools in Singapore reopening after the curfew was lifted. Later in the 1980s, Kampong Kembangan and Kampong Pachitan, which used to stand at present day Kembangan estate, was demolished to make way for redevelopments in the area. Kampong Kembangan lies approximately to the east of the present day HDB flats in the estate, while Kampong Pachitan lie west of the flats. Several roads in the area were removed or realigned with the redevelopments that were in tandem with the construction of the MRT Line and station there.
Amenities[]
Kembangan is served by limited amenities like the Kembangan Plaza, which mainly consists of tuition centres, as well as shophouses around the estate. The social welfare of residents are catered for with facilities like the Kwan-In Welfare Free Clinic and the Moral Home for the Disabled in the area. The estate is served by the Kampong Kembangan Community Club, which also serves the wider Kembangan-Chai Chee constituency in the Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency. The Siglap Park Connector which runs to either the Bedok Reservoir Park or the East Coast Park cuts through the area too. There are more amenities located in the nearby Chai Chee and Eunos estates.
The area also has multiple places of worship like the Bethesda Chapel, Mangala Vihara Buddhist Temple, Masjid Abdul Razak, Masjid Mydin and The Buddhist Union.
The area falls under the jurisdiction of the Kampong Kembangan Neighbourhood Police Post (NPP), which is part of the Bedok Police Division, and the 2nd Singapore Civil Defence Force DIV HQ.
Education[]
There are currently no public government schools in the Kembangan estate. There is only a government funded school, the MINDS Towner Gardens School. It is the first purpose built special education school in Singapore, established since 1985. It has been operating from that location since December 1997. There are also kindergartens like the PCF Kindergarten and the Muhammadiyah Kindergarten located in this estate.
There used to be multiple schools in the area some of which are now defunct namely:
- Chin Hua School, from before 1936 to c.1970, formerly located at 503A Changi Road
- Kembangan Integrated Primary School (KIPS), from 1963 to 1987, formerly located at 2 Lengkong Satu the current site of MINDS School
- Madrasah Al-Arabiah Al-Islamiah, it formerly stood at where Muhammadiyah Association is today from c.1980s to 2005 and now stands at its present location in Toa Payoh
- Madrasah Alsagoff Al-Arabiah, it occupied the defunct KIPS premises from 1989 to 1992 and now stands at its present location in Kampong Glam
- Madrasah Irsyad or Madrasatul Irsyad Al Islamiyah from 1979, it is managed by Masjid Mydin and is not to be confused with the current Madrasah Al-Irsyad Al-Islamiah
Transportation[]
The estate is served by the East West MRT Line at the Kembangan MRT Station. There is only one public bus service (no. 42) serving the area, which also serves the neighbouring Opera Estate. There are more bus services to be found along the one directional Sims Avenue East that lies south of the estate, or the further Changi Road which runs in the opposite direction towards the city. The Pan Island Expressway which lies north of the estate does not have an exit leading into the estate.
Houses[]
There is one notable house which is located at 35 Waringin Walk and also 37 Waringin Walk, which is Simon Ng's house. He had purchased the property in 2005, but he had moved from Siglap Close (Por Por Helen's house from 1970s to 2005, before the house was being demolished and rebuilt), and it is 2-storey house. Por Por's room has been built at the centralised area from 2011 to the passing on 22 October 2017, in the end Por Por's room removed everything. There are several people staying in this house - which is Simon Ng, Mabel Lee, Natalie Ng, Nigel Ng and Nicolette Ng, but Nigel Ng will be moving to Tampines North in 2021 or 2022 with Abelle Wee.
Last Bus Timings from Waringin Walk[]
| Route | Destination | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Eastbound | ||
| 2 | Changi Village | 12.43am |
| 7 | Bedok | 12.31am |
| 24 | Changi Airport | 11.38pm |
| 25 | Upper East Coast | 12.23am |
| 26 | Bedok | 12.07am |
| 28 | Tampines | 12.35am |
| 30 | Bedok | 1.30am |
| 32 | Bedok | 1.01am |
| 33 | Bedok | 12.58am |
| 67 | Tampines | 12.12am |
| 854 | Bedok | 12.33am |
| Westbound | ||
| 2 | Kampong Bahru | 12.17am |
| 7 | Clementi | 11.37pm |
| 24 | Ang Mo Kio | 12.46am |
| 25 | Ang Mo Kio | 11.47pm |
| 26 | Toa Payoh | 11.38pm |
| 28 | Toa Payoh | 12.40am |
| 30 | Boon Lay | 11.41pm |
| 32 | Buona Vista | 11.36pm |
| 33 | Kent Ridge | 11.50pm |
| 67 | Choa Chu Kang | 11.54pm |
| 854 | Yishun | 11.43pm |
Incidents[]
- On 5 July 2009, 17 year old Vincent Tan Sze Hao died after being kicked in the neck by his opponent during a sparring session in a taekwondo tournament in Kampong Kembangan Community Club. He as a green belt holder was sparring against a higher ranked brown belt holder. The coroner ruled that it was an unfortunate accident that cannot be blamed upon either the organiser or his opponent. It is the first fatality of taekwondo in Singapore.