Bukit Panjang: Difference between revisions

Bukit Panjang means "long hill" in [[Malay language|Malay]]. It gets its name from the low hills which end south to [[Bukit Timah]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Savage; [[Brenda Yeoh|Yeoh]], |2022|p. =73}}</ref> The roads in the town are named after old 60s kampung tracks (Lorong Petir, Lorong Pending, Jalan Fajar, Jalan Senja) which used to ply the area.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Loh Xiu |first=Ruth |date=2019-07-03 |title=Bukit Panjang, where the hills come alive |url=https://www.edgeprop.sg/property-news/bukit-panjang-where-hills-come-alive |access-date=2023-09-07 |website=edgeprop.sg}}</ref>

Bukit Panjang is a suburban town in western Singapore. Before redevelopment, Kampong Bukit Panjang used to exist in the area. Initially, instead of using the original place name, Bukit Panjang, there were plans to open up the new town using the name, Zhenghua,<ref name=":0" /> derived from Jalan Cheng Hwa that used to ply the area''.'' However, Bukit Panjang was quickly reinstated following complaints.<ref>{{Harvnb|Savage;|Yeoh|2022|p=74}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=17 January 1987 |title=HDB changes Zhenghua to Bukit Panjang |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/biztimes19870117-1.2.11.6? |access-date=10 October 2024 |work=[[BrendaThe YeohBusiness Times (Singapore)|YeohThe Business Times]], p.|pages=2 74|via=[[NewspaperSG]]}}</ref> Development of the town and advanced earthworks begun on 15 June 1981. [[Housing and Development Board]] (HDB) flats rose up by 20 May 1985, but only Blocks 1xx and 2xx were built so far. Neighbourhood 4 was up and running by 1989, and followed by Neighbourhood 5 and 6 which was the recent ones since 1995.

The Bukit Panjang area comes under the administrative lead of the Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council, which oversees the management and maintenance of the many apartments ([[Housing and Development Board|HDB]] flats) and commercial units in Bukit Panjang. Its chairmanMember of Parliament is [[Liang Eng Hwa]] since the [[2020 Singaporean general election|2020 general election]].<ref>{{cite act|type=Notification|index=1421|year=2020|legislature=Republic of Singapore Government Gazette|title=Parliamentary Elections Act – Statement of the Poll after Counting the ballots for Electoral Division of Bukit Panjang|url=https://www.eld.gov.sg/gazettes/2020/Statement_of_Poll_for_the_Electoral_Division_of_Bukit_Panjang.pdf|access-date=10 October 2024}}</ref>

The town consists of a mixture of old and new blocks of flats, condominiums and private housing. To date, there are three [[community center|community centre]]s, namely Bukit Panjang Community Club, Zhenghua Community CentreClub,<ref>[https://www.pa.gov.sg/cc-details/zhenghua-community-club/ ''People's Association - Zhenghua Community Club'']</ref> and Senja-Cashew Community Club, which serve the entertainment, recreational, and educational needs of residents.[[File:Bukit Panjang Plaza.jpg|alt=|thumb|left|Bukit Panjang Plaza, one of the popular malls in Bukit Panjang, before its second major renovation.]][[Bukit Panjang Plaza]] is one of the well-known malls in Bukit Panjang. It is located in the heart of Bukit Panjang town and is near [[Bukit Panjang LRT station]], [[Bukit Panjang MRT station]], and [[Bukit Panjang Bus Interchange]]. Located on Jelebu Road, the mall has been expanded twice throughout its existence to include more shops in the building. The mall is owned by CapitaRetail which is another retail-based [[REIT]] by [[CapitaLand]]. The mall houses the [[Bukit Panjang Public Library]] as well as a [[NTUC FairPrice]] Finest supermarket.[[File:Singapore - Hillion Mall.png|thumb|Hillion Mall as viewed from Bukit Panjang MRT station]]

[[Hillion Mall]] is another well-known mall in Bukit Panjang, located along Petir Road. It is one of the more recent commercial facilities, which completed construction and was opened to the public on 24 February 2017. It is part of the Bukit Panjang Integrated Transport Hub, which shares the building with the [[Bukit Panjang Bus Interchange]], and directly links to the [[Bukit Panjang MRT/LRT station]] through an underpass and above-ground link way respectively.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Abdullah |first=Zhaki |date=4 September 2017 |title=New Bukit Panjang transport hub opens after two-year delay |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/new-bukit-panjang-transport-hub-opens-after-two-year-delay |access-date=10 October 2024 |work=[[The Straits Times]] |language=en |issn=0585-3923}}</ref>

The town has two major parks, namely [[Bukit Panjang Neighbourhood Park|Bukit Panjang5 Park]] and [[Zhenghua Park]].<ref name=":0" /> Bukit Panjang Neighbourhood 5 Park is located adjacent to the Senja-Cashew Community Club and wraps around [[Pang Sua Pond]], a man-made floating wetland. [[Zhenghua Park]], located in the eastern part of Bukit Panjang, consists of a fitness area, [[gazebo]]s, [[playground]]s, and a 2.5-kilometre [[cycling]] and [[jogging]] track that runs parallel to the [[Bukit Timah Expressway]].

Bukit Panjang is served by the following MRT Stations on the [[Downtown MRT Lineline]] which opened on 27 December 2015 and provide residents with direct train access to the [[Downtown Core]]:

It is also served by the following LRT Stations which connect it to nearby [[Choa Chu Kang]] for commuters to access the [[North SouthNorth–South MRT Lineline]]: