GE2025: Sengkang residents to get rejuvenated park under WP town council’s 5-year plan

SINGAPORE - A 24-year-old public park in the heart of Compassvale is set for a major facelift as part of a five-year masterplan for Sengkang launched by the Workers’ Party-run town council.

The rejuvenation of Sengkang Sculpture Park, in Compassvale Street, is the centrepiece of a multi-year road map that the Sengkang Town Council (SKTC) announced on April 5.

Other amenities in the plan include a new rooftop butterfly garden in Anchorvale, an edible garden in Buangkok and a dog run in Rivervale.

In addition, 96 town improvement projects, which include new covered walkways, playgrounds and residents’ corners, are being studied by SKTC, which aims to roll them out between the 2025 and 2029 financial years.

The launch of the new masterplan, which was held at Sengkang Sculpture Park, comes ahead of a general election that is widely expected to be called by the middle of the year.

Speaking to the media at the launch, the Sengkang GRC MPs – Ms He Ting Ru, Mr Louis Chua and Associate Professor Jamus Lim – were coy when asked about election plans.

Ms He, who chairs SKTC, said the focus of the April 5 event was on the five-year masterplan.

“As and when the election campaign kicks off later this year, you will hear from us, hear from the party as well,” she added.

Asked about whether the trio would be part of the WP team contesting the four-member constituency, Mr Chua said in Mandarin: “No matter whether we, or another party, win Sengkang GRC, I believe Sengkang Town Council will continue to operate as normal.”

Mr Chua, who is SKTC vice-chairman, added: “I can’t say whether the projects that have been announced and approved will be implemented. But these are things the town council should carry out.”

Mr Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik, 35, a senior property manager at Aljunied-Hougang Town Council who has been tipped to fill the empty slot in the WP’s Sengkang slate, was present at the launch. He declined to comment when approached.

The Sengkang Sculpture Park’s facelift will take place in two phases.

The first phase will involve transforming the area around Sengkang’s Whale Sculpture landmark, which is located near Block 263 Compassvale Street, into three distinct zones inspired by Sengkang’s heritage as a fishing village.

One zone will feature “kelong”-style pavilions connected by stilt-like walkways that provide a scenic route for residents, while another zone will be revamped into a “waterscape” with a sailboat water feature at its centre.

In the third zone, a new landscaped garden will be added for residents to unwind, and a new coral reef sculpture will also be added to complement the existing art pieces there.

As for the second phase of the park’s rejuvenation, SKTC plans to get young Sengkang residents, aged between 18 and 30, to be part of a steering committee that will help create an inclusive space at the refreshed park that will be accommodating to all, said Ms He.

While Ms He was not able to say when the rejuvenation works would be completed, she did say that Sengkang residents would be able to enjoy some of the other improvements in the master plan soon.

Construction of the butterfly garden in Anchorvale will start next week atop a multipurpose hall near Block 336 Anchorvale Crescent. A hydroponics garden will also be built there, and residents will be able to grow their own leafy greens and herbs.

Meanwhile, a new dog run in Rivervale will be completed by the first half of 2025. This was an idea that was proposed to Mr Chua by a group of dog owners. In late 2024, SKTC surveyed 271 residents on the initiative, and 72 per cent of respondents supported it.

On the issue of estate upkeep, Prof Lim said about half of the estates in Sengkang town have already undergone repair and redecoration works, with the remainder to be done over the next few years.

“A lot of it is routine stuff... but they are things that affect the day-to-day lives of our residents, and we take that extremely seriously. So our goal... is always to be responsive,” he said.

As for the estate improvement, the 96 projects being looked at by SKTC are on top of the 81 town improvement projects that have already been delivered since the town council was formed in 2020.

Some 685 lifts across Sengkang will also be modernised or replaced so they are safer, more reliable and more energy efficient.

Prof Lim said SKTC has, over the past four to five years, submitted proposals for about 100 improvement projects each year on average, to be considered for funding by the Community Improvement Projects Committee (CIPC).

The CIPC, which comes under the Ministry of National Development (MND), gives out government grants to town councils that are typically used for basic infrastructure such as covered walkways, footpaths, cycling tracks and playgrounds.

During the debate on the MND’s 2025 budget in March, it was revealed that Sengkang had submitted the most projects to be considered for CIPC funding in the 2024 financial year out of all the towns in Singapore, with 248 projects worth $30 million.

However, the CIPC could support only 47 of Sengkang’s higher-ranked projects, amounting to $4.5 million, due to funding constraints.

Prof Lim said one example of this is the construction of a footpath along an inner access road in one of the estates, which required CIPC funding as there were technical limitations at the site.

“We hope to be able to continue with this effort in raising funds via the CIPC so that we can roll out more amenities,” he said.

Compassvale resident Bob Lee, 25, was happy to learn about plans for a new dog run in Rivervale, which he said was a boost for the WP in his books.

The computer science undergraduate, whose family owns a bichon frise, said there is a dog run in Anchorvale that is a 20-minute walk from where he lives, but appreciated more options.

Mr Shekar Chockalingam, 45, who recently became a citizen and will be voting for the first time, said he felt Sengkang was being neglected when the WP first took over, especially given the new developments that have sprouted up in nearby Punggol.

But the Compassvale resident said his estate has improved a lot in the past couple of years, with more green spaces. He added: “Now Sengkang is getting some attention, which is good.”