Meet Singapore's newest town, Tengah

To many who don't grow up in the far western regions of Singapore, Tengah might sound like a foreign land that you'll need to bring a passport to enter. And no, it's not as treacherous as a Journey to the West and definitely not tougher than completing Black Myth: Wukong as well. Also, a benefit of doubt for those who are actually living in a well, Tengah is not at the immediate vicinity of Tengah Air Base (which was my impression the first I heard about this estate years ago), it's actually a new estate bordering Jurong East, Jurong West and Bukit Batok. So even as a relatively new estate, there are already existing infrastructures it can rely on. Well, more on that later, as I unravel this new estate to you and show why Tengah is going to be an exciting place to live in.

There were plans as early as 2001 to set Tengah aside for future housing developments. Fast forward to 15 years later in 2016, the plans for Tengah new town was officially unveiled, alongside the master plan and blueprint for the town.

(Source: HDB)

Envisioned as a car-lite forest town, the eco-friendly estate spewed over an area of 700ha will house 42,000 homes that are divided between five districts: Plantation, Garden, Park, Brickland, and Forest Hill, with Plantation being the first to be developed. Singapore is known for being the Garden City, so it's fitting that the new Tengah HDB town will emphasise green (without the Tree of Souls though), sustainable living.

A lush forest fringe will surround the town, with a 100-metre-wide, 5-kilometre-long forest corridor trail linking Tengah to green spaces like the Western and Central Catchment Nature Reserves. The town will be immersed in greenery, centred around a sprawling 20-hectare Central Park, which will include a forest amphitheatre and "community farmways" that will meander through the residential areas.

(Source: HDB)

Tengah is the first HDB town to feature a car-free Town Centre, promoting eco-friendly commuting like walking and cycling. By separating pedestrian and vehicle routes at the town's core, Tengah offers a safer and more welcoming environment. Imagine leaving home and going to the nearest shopping mall in your estate without having to cross any roads. Wouldn't that be cool? But don't worry if you are overly attached to your "wifey" (the car), roads will run underneath the town.

The town centre will be located in the Park District, with all the rest of the districts being car-lite areas. There will be dedicated paths for walking and cycling on both sides of its roads, residents can enjoy smooth, safe connections for green commuting throughout the town.

I'm sure many of you already know this, but one of the more famous schools, Anglo-Chinese School (Primary), is shifting to Tengah as well. And I also know that Singaporeans are very savvy, they know that when a reputable school is within an area, what does it mean? It means that the property prices around the area are more or less set to boom. That is why we get headlines like these..

Singapore's seventh MRT line, the Jurong Region Line (JRL), is set to enhance transportation links in the western part of the island, catering to both current and upcoming developments. This new line will play a pivotal role in boosting the region's connectivity and fueling the growth of Jurong, soon to become the largest commercial hub outside the Central Business District. Key locations like the Jurong Industrial Estate, Jurong Innovation District, and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) will be more accessible for commuters.

(Source: Land Transport Authority, Singapore)

Once operational, the JRL will bring 60,000 more homes within a 10-minute walk of a station. With three interchange stations integrating seamlessly with the existing MRT network, commuters will benefit from multiple travel route options, making their journeys more convenient.

(Source: URA)

Singapore's second Central Business District, Jurong Lake District (JLD), will be the largest business district outside of the central area. This 360-hectare district will connect seamlessly to existing commercial centres and create 100,000 new jobs.

On top of that, just a stone's throw away is also the Jurong Innovation District (JID). The JID is Singapore's answer to industry 4.0, where innovation and cutting-edge transformation takes place. It will allow businesses and the community at large to come together to inspire new ideas that will ultimately redefine the world we live in.

The creation of new jobs comes with the demands of housing needs, which means that the Tengah estate will be a very popular choice for people working within both the JLD and JID.

So far 23,000 flats across 22 BTO projects have been launched so far. If you want to read about why some people are deviating away from BTO, this might interest you. Apart from BTOs, there was also an EC launch which did superbly. Copen Grand sold 73% of units on its launch day and the entire project was sold out within a month, making it the best-selling EC in 2022.

Many people were excited about the launch because of the knowledge about the potential of Tengah and the first mover's advantage they'll receive with all that's happening around and within Tengah.

November will be an excellent month for homebuyers with the launch of Novo Place. Novo Place is an EC with a total of 504 units. Judging from the popularity of an EC launch in the area, Novo Place is another highly-anticipated launch in November. Hit us up to find out more about this upcoming launch!

Views expressed in this article belong to the writer(s) and do not reflect PropNex's position.