Yahoo Finance The transformation of Bukit Batok
Located in District 23 of Western Singapore and spanning 1,104 hectares, Bukit Batok is bounded by four major roads: Chua Chu Kang Road to the north; Pan Island Expressway to the south; Old Jurong Road to the east and Bukit Batok Road to the west.
The estate comprises of nine sub-zones: Gombak, Hong Kah, Brickworks, Guilin, Hillview, Bukit Batok West, Bukit Batok East, Bukit Batok South and Bukit Batok Central.
Source: Google Maps
From quarrying village to residential enclave
In the 1950s, Bukit Batok began as a largely undeveloped, remote town occupied by farmlands, villages, granite quarries, forest reserves and factories. Despite multiple interpretations, many believe that when directly translated from the Malay language, with bukit meaning “hill” and batok meaning “cough”, the name ‘Bukit Batok’ literally means: Coughing Hill. One possible explanation was the cold air in the hilly area that easily caused coughs. Another school of thought points out the frequent blasting of granite quarries then, which sounded like the hills were “coughing”.
In the 1960s, majority of the population were living in poor housing conditions or temporary structures. Policymakers then crafted a five-year masterplan to build a satellite town in the 1970s. The completed Bukit Batok New Town covered 750 hectares, with four neighbourhoods providing approximately 26,000 flats to house over 130,000 citizens.
In addition to housing policies, Bukit Batok has transformed under public efforts to improve infrastructure, such as the 1970s nation-wide drainage schemes to alleviate flooding.
Today, Bukit Batok forms a connected residential estate comprising of linked shopping centres, nature parks, clubhouses, a driving centre and an industrial park.
A self-sustaining residential town
Today, Bukit Batok comprises a good mix of public and private residences, and boasts various facilities and amenities that include a community club at Hillview Avenue, HillV2 - a mixed development with retail amenities at Hillview Avenue and various childcare centres.
There is also an international school, Dulwich College (Singapore) and the Ren Ci Nursing Home to serve the healthcare needs of elderly residents within Bukit Batok.
There have also been recent improvements to the public transportation network and upgrading of road infrastructure in the area. Among the improvements were two new Downtown Line 2 (DTL2) MRT stations, Cashew and HIllview in Bukit Batok.
With regards to the future, Bukit Batok is also a key district as part of ongoing developments to build the Jurong Lake District, to house an estimated 20,000 residential properties and 175,000 jobs.
New BTO offerings
The year 2019 marked the first BTO launch in Jurong West since Yung Ho Spring I & II were launched in September 2014. During the latest BTO exercise in February 2019, the 599-unit Jurong West Jewel and the 775-unit Boon Lay Glade were launched.
Source: HDB
Jurong West Jewel is surrounded by a number of educational institutions such as Juying Primary School, Juying Secondary School, Xingnan Primary School, Jurong West Primary School, Frontier Primary School. It is near Pioneer Mall, where you can pick up your daily grocery. The BTO development is especially attractive if you are a sports enthusiast as Jurong West Sports and Recreation Centre is right across the road. Jurong West Sports and Recreation Centre contains a myriad of facilities that include a sports hall that caters to tennis, table tennis and badminton, a multi-purpose stadium and a swimming complex.
The educational institutions in the vicinity of Boon Lay Glade include River Valley High School, Jurong West Secondary School, Boon Lay Secondary School, West Grove Primary School, Boon Lay Garden Primary School and Lakeside Primary School. It is near a wide variety of shopping amenities such as Jurong Point and Boon Lay Shopping Centre. If you are a nature lover, you will never be disappointed at the surrounding environment, where you could take a stroll in Jurong Central Park. There are also other recreational choices in the neighbourhood for you to choose from.
In addition, the nearby SAFRA club hosts activities, provides value-added services and membership perks that meet the lifestyle needs of the community.
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