WP’s master plan for Sengkang plan ‘sets the stage for the next lap’

SINGAPORE: The Workers’ Party (WP) Members of Parliament (MPs) for Sengkang unveiled the Sengkang Town Plan for 2025 & Beyond on Saturday (April 5). He Ting Ru, Louis Chua, and Jamus Lim laid out the various plans that Sengkang residents can look forward to in the next five years.

The “centrepiece” of the master plan is the rejuvenation of Sengkang Sculpture Park in Compassvale Street, announced Ms He, who chairs Sengkang Town Council.

The first phase of this project involves transforming the areas surrounding the Whale Sculpture landmark into three zones. The first, Zone A, will have kelong-style pavilions connected by stilt-like walkways, giving residents a scenic route to gather, rest, and take part in leisure activities.

Meanwhile, the second, Zone B, will become a waterscape with a new sailboat feature and walkways at the end of it. It will also include seating and a new boat pavilion. As for Zone C, a new landscaped garden with trellises and seating options will be introduced, along with a coral reef sculpture to complement existing art pieces.

Ms He said that the design of the rejuvenation was inspired by Sengkang’s origins as a fishing village.

Sengkang Town Council also launched an open call for residents aged 18 to 30 interested in community planning and design. They will form part of a steering committee to create the larger parts of Sengkang Sculpture Park “with inclusivity in mind”.

More information about the town plan may be found here. The town council is looking at 96 community and town improvement projects, 55 of which are meant to enhance connectivity and improve accessibility. The other 41 will refresh amenities and improve community spaces. There are also 685 lifts across Sengkang that will undergo improvements or enhancements.

Also, Anchorvale residents can look forward to a butterfly sanctuary and hydroponic garden, and Buangkok residents will have an edible rooftop garden in the near future, where gardening and culinary activities will be held. There will also be a dog run at Rivervale Shores and a new BTO (build to order) in the ward.

“The plan sets the stage for the next lap,” Assoc Prof Lim wrote in a Facebook post on Monday morning (April 7). He explained that in the past five years, the WP team’s focus had been to ensure a smooth transition for residents in the then-newly-created ward and “to be as responsive as possible to feedback that had not been adequately addressed by the previous administration”.

While some may find these issues to be minor, Assoc Prof Lim noted that “these issues make a huge difference to the day-to-day life of residents, and we take each instance of feedback we receive seriously”.

He also noted that among all town councils in Singapore, in 2024, Sengkang had the highest number of submissions for new projects to be funded by CIPC.

Assoc Prof Lim also echoed Mr Chua’s hopes that the new “hard” infrastructure projects would “also be the basis for us to continue to build the ‘soft’ infrastructure of the town: the neighbourly relations, the kampong spirit, and a sustainable, empathetic community”.

Netizens commenting on the unveiling of Sengkang’s master plan have praised the WP MPs.

“Very impressive!! With only three MPs, Louis, Ting Ru, and Jamus, have managed Sengkang so well. A model ward to be proud of!! Deserve to be returned as MPs again…without ice cream, fish, and Labulabu. Just plain service from the heart,” one wrote.

“You three are the beacon of hope. Thank you for all your (efforts) to make Sengkang beautiful and safe. May you attain success in the coming GE,” said another commenter.

One said that Sengkang’s residents are “lucky” to have MPs who are “very involved with their HDB estate”./TISG

Read also: In Sengkang, residents work with MPs on finding solutions to community, national-level issues