Hidden away in the northeastern corner of Singapore, District 28 is home to the bustling aviation hub that is Seletar and the educational centre that is Yio Chu Kang.
Situated in the north-eastern region of Singapore, District 28 includes:
- Seletar: A primarily industrial district, home to the Seletar Aerospace Park, the Seletar Airport, and Seletar Country club. However, for people looking to live in a secluded enclave, this neighbourhood does have a small pocket of private residences nestled within.
- Yio Chu Kang: A small residential estate with a high concentration of educational institutions and industrial buildings, adjacent to the vibrant Ang Mo Kio town centre.
Parks and Sports Centres
Within the district, residents have a few choices of outdoor places to indulge in nature. These include the Hampstead Wetlands Park, Hyde Park Gate Garden, Rower’s Bay Park, and Yishun Dam.
For more choices, they only need to head to neighbouring estates to enjoy so many choices – which include Upper Seletar Reservoir Park, Lower Seletar Reservoir Park, Thomson Nature Park, Upper, and Lower Peirce Reservoir Park, Ang Mo Kio Town Garden West, and Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park.
Even as a small neighbourhood, due to its proximity to many educational institutions, Yio Chu Kang thus has its very own sporting complex where it houses a stadium, sports hall, gym, and swimming Complex.
Heritage Attractions
Formerly the military air base of the British Royal Air Force in Singapore, the Seletar neighbourhood still retains some interesting aspects of its colonial past.
Some notable attractions include the many black and white colonial bungalows (once homes for military personnel) that have been gazetted for conversation into retail spaces and residential use, the defunct 152 Hangar from the 1920s, 398 Canteen Piccadilly Road which is an old-school coffee-shop from the kampung days, and many others.
Schools, Libraries, and Other Public Facilities
Due to the nature of Seletar being primarily an industrial estate, and Yio Chu Kang being too small, there are not many public facilities in the vicinity.
However, that’s not an issue at all when neighbouring districts like the mature township of Ang Mo Kio and the new vibrant estate of Seng Kang have plenty of public amenities to share.
Just a short bus ride away, residents can get access to a whole suite of public amenities like multiple shopping malls, bustling neighbourhood centres, libraries, two hospitals, a polyclinic, places of worship, and even more sports centres.
For a small estate, Yio Chu Kang has a uniquely high concentration of educational institutions, with most of them concentrated conveniently around the MRT station. This includes Presbyterian High School, Yio Chu Kang Secondary School, Anderson Secondary School, Anderson Serangoon Junior College, Nanyang Polytechnic, Singapore Institute of Technology, and ITE College Central.
Food & Beverages (F&B) and Retail Options
Unexpectedly for an industrial estate, Seletar has a hidden cluster of dining establishments that are popular with foodies on the lookout for secret spots.
The Oval is a quaint enclave of Instagrammable restaurants, cafes, and bars with nearby outdoor play areas that make it the perfect spot for regular dates or children’s play dates. Further down the road, closer to the Seletar Airport Control Tower, there are even more cafes like the Soek Seng 1954 Bicycle Café and Hangar66 Café which offer a unique view of the runway.
Without any malls within the district, residents need only to head over to Seng Kang or Ang Mo Kio for access to multiple malls like Rivervale Mall, The Seletar Mall, Compass One, Ang Mo Kio Hub, Djitsun Mall, and Jubilee Square.
Connected Via Rail and Bus Network
With its very own MRT station and Bus Interchange, Yio Chu Kang is well connected to different parts of the region by both rail and bus networks.