Bukit Merah

Bukit Merah
Planning Area and HDB Town
Other transcription(s)
•  English	Redhill
•  Chinese	红山 Hóngshān(Pinyin) Âng-soaⁿ(Hokkien POJ)
•  Malay	Bukit Merah
•  Tamil	புக்கிட் மேரா
From top left to right: HarbourFront, Singapore Improvement Trust flats in Tiong Bahru, Skyline of Redhill, Henderson Waves, Jetty at Labrador Nature Reserve
Location in Central Region
Bukit Merah Location of Bukit Merah within Singapore
Coordinates: 1°16′54.86″N103°49′26.11″E / 1.2819056°N 103.8239194°E / 1.2819056; 103.8239194
Country	Singapore
Region	Central Region
CDCs	Central Singapore CDC South West CDC
Town councils	Jalan Besar Town Council Tanjong Pagar Town Council West Coast Town Council
Constituencies	Jalan Besar GRC Radin Mas SMC Tanjong Pagar GRC West Coast GRC
Government
• Mayors	Central Singapore CDC Denise Phua South West CDC Low Yen Ling
• Members of Parliament	Jalan Besar GRC Josephine Teo Radin Mas SMC Melvin Yong Tanjong Pagar GRC Eric Chua Indranee Rajah Joan Pereira West Coast GRC Rachel Ong
Area [1] [2]
• Total	14.34 km2 (5.54 sq mi)
• Residential	3.12 km2 (1.20 sq mi)
Population  (2020) [1] [2] [3]
• Total	151,250
• Density	11,000/km2 (27,000/sq mi)
Ethnic groups [4]
•  Chinese	120,830
•  Malays	11,430
•  Indians	13,980
• Others	5,010
Postal districts	2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10
Dwelling units	51,885
Projected ultimate	68,000

Bukit Merah, also known as Redhill, is a planning area and new town situated in the southernmost part of the Central Region of Singapore. the planning area borders Tanglin to the north, Queenstown to the west and the Downtown Core, Outram and Singapore River planning areas of the Central Area to the east.

Bukit Merah shares a maritime boundary with the Southern Islands planning area located beyond its southernmost point. It is the most populated planning area in the Central Region, and the 12th most populated planning area in the country overall, being home to more than 150,000 residents. ^[5]

Etymology

Bukit Merah translates to “red hill” in Malay, and is a reference to the red-coloured lateritic soil found on the hill. According to the Sejarah Melayu , Singapore used to be plagued by swordfish attacking the people living in the coastal regions. A young boy named Hang Nadim proposed an ingenious solution, to build a wall of banana stems along the coast at the present location of Tanjong Pagar.

When the swordfish attacked, their snouts were stuck in the stems. With the swordfish problem solved, Hang Nadim earned great respect from the people, but also jealousy from the rulers. The fourth King of Singapura, Paduka Seri Maharaja, finally ordered his execution, and it was said that his blood-soaked the soil of the hill where he was killed, giving rise to the red-coloured hill. ^[6]

The hill was eventually trimmed to its current state in 1973, when it made way for Redhill Close and what would eventually become the now defunct Henderson Secondary School. During its existence, a Chinese cemetery was situated on the reverse side of this hill, which is today, the location of Tiong Bahru.

History

Keppel Harbour dates back to the 14th century when an ancient Chinese traveller, Wang Dayuan named the harbour as "Long-Ya-Men" or "Dragon Teeth Gate" after two rock outcrops located near Labrador Park, which resembled dragon's teeth. The two rock outcrops were subsequently blown up by the Straits Settlements Surveyor, John Thomson, in August 1848 to widen the entrance a new harbour.

With the earliest records of Bukit Merah's existence in the Malay Annals, the town had a huge role to play in the early maritime trade of the Kingdom of Singapura.

Mount Faber was once known as Telok Blangah Hill. Its name was changed to Mount Faber after Captain Edward Faber cut the road up to the top in 1845 to set up a signal station. The Singapore General Hospital site dates back to 1882. Labrador Nature Park was used as a defence outpost in the 19th century until World War II. ^[7]

The town's fertile red soil was employed to great effect, when it was a district rich in gambier cultivation during British colonial rule. ^[8]

Even before the industrialisation of Jurong, Bukit Merah already had a small head start in the emerging heavy industry market in Singapore. With the first brickwork factories and mills emerging in the precincts of Henderson Hill and Redhill as early as the 1930s. ^[9]

The town is also home to the first housing estate in the country, Tiong Bahru, which was developed by the Singapore Improvement Trust in the backdrop of a rapidly growing population in post-war Singapore. The estate later became the basis of what would eventually become the first new town in the Republic, Queenstown.

Geography

The Bukit Merah–Central Area boundary line along Outram Road as seen from Bukit Merah.

According to the various master plans laid out by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, Bukit Merah is bounded by Alexandra Canal and the Singapore River to the north and HarbourFront and Keppel Bay to the south, Kim Seng Road, Outram Road and Cantonment Road to the east and Alexandra Road to the west. There are several subzones within the planning area, namely Alexandra, Bukit Ho Swee, Bukit Merah, City Terminals, Depot Road, Everton Park, HarbourFront, Henderson Hill, Redhill, Singapore General Hospital, Telok Blangah and Tiong Bahru.

Subzones

Name of subzones	Location	Notable structures	Accessibility
Alexandra	Areas along Alexandra Road, Jalan Bukit Merah, Jalan Rumah Tinggi and Hoy Fatt Road	Alexandra Primary School, Alexandra Central, Alexandra Village, AIA Building and IKEA Alexandra	Labrador Park MRT station, Redhill MRT station and buses
Bukit Ho Swee	Areas along Jalan Bukit Ho Swee and Delta	Beo Crescent Market, Havelock Food Centre, Kim Seng Community Centre and Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board	Tiong Bahru MRT station, Havelock MRT station and buses
Bukit Merah	Areas along Bukit Merah Central	Bukit Merah Town Centre, Bukit Merah Bus Interchange, Bukit Merah Polyclinic, Former HDB Centre, Bukit Merah Secondary School and Gan Eng Seng Primary School	Buses
City Terminals	Pulau Brani and areas near Keppel Harbour	Port of Singapore Keppel Terminal, Police Coast Guard Headquarters and St. James Power Station	Keppel MRT Station (Future) and buses. Keppel Terminal is a restricted area
Depot Road	Areas along Depot Road	Central Manpower Base, Defence Science and Technology Agency, Depot Heights Shopping Centre, ISS International School and The Interlace	Buses
Everton Park	Areas bounded by Cantonment Road, Neil Road, Keppel Road	Cantonment Primary School, Former Tanjong Pagar railway station, Kampong Bahru Bus Terminal and Police Cantonment Complex	Cantonment MRT station (Future), Buses
HarbourFront	Bukit Merah South	HarbourFront Bus Interchange, HarbourFront Centre, Singapore Cruise Centre, VivoCity	HarbourFront MRT station, Buses, Cable Car, Sentosa Express
Henderson Hill	Bukit Merah West	Bukit Merah West NPC, Delta Sports Complex, Gan Eng Seng School, Henderson Community Club and Tiong Bahru Park	Buses
Redhill	Northwestern Bukit Merah	Redhill Market and Food Centre, Leng Kee Community Centre and Enabling Village	Redhill MRT station, Buses
Singapore General Hospital	Bukit Merah East	Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Health Promotion Board, Health Sciences Authority, Outram Community Hospital & SingHealth Tower, Outram Polyclinic and Singapore General Hospital	Outram Park MRT station, Buses
Telok Blangah	Bukit Merah South	Blangah Rise Primary School, CHIJ St. Theresa's Convent, Mount Faber Park, Radin Mas Community Club, Radin Mas Primary School, Tang Gah Beo Temple, SAFRA Mount Faber, Telok Blangah Community Club and Telok Blangah Hill Park	Telok Blangah MRT station, Buses
Tiong Bahru	Area bounded by Jalan Bukit Ho Swee, Outram Road, CTE, AYE and Lower Delta Road	Tiong Bahru Community Centre, Tiong Bahru Market, Tiong Bahru Plaza and Zhangde Primary School	Tiong Bahru MRT station, Buses

Transportation

Mass Rapid Transit

Outram Park MRT station was the first station to open in the planning area in 1987, followed by the namesake Redhill MRT station and Tiong Bahru MRT station in 1988. Today, there are currently 7 MRT stations that serve the planning area across 4 lines, the East West line, Circle line, North East line and the Thomson-East Coast line. HarbourFront MRT station is an interchange station between the North East line and the Circle line, which is also the current terminus for both lines. Outram Park MRT station was initially a double-line interchange station between the East West and North East lines but became a triple-line interchange station after the commencement of the third stage of the Thomson–East Coast line in 2022. The 7 stations are:

•  TE16  Havelock
•  EW16  NE3  TE17  Outram Park
•  EW17  Tiong Bahru
•  EW18  Redhill
•  CC27  Labrador Park
•  CC28  Telok Blangah
•  NE1  CC29  HarbourFront

Future stations that are currently under construction include:

•  CC30  Keppel
•  CC31  Cantonment

The future stations, Keppel and Cantonment will be located within the new town as part of Stage 6 of the Circle line that will be completed by 2026. ^[10]

Bus

There are two bus interchanges and one bus terminal in the new town. The Bukit Merah Bus Interchange, which serves Bukit Merah, is located at Bukit Merah Town Centre. Service Number 132 links the Interchange to Redhill MRT station while bus services 5, 16, and 851 links the interchange to Tiong Bahru MRT station. There are two feeder services originating from the interchange which serves the Telok Blangah estate. The HarbourFront Bus Interchange is located at the southern part of Bukit Merah, serving nearby amenities such as the HarbourFront Centre and VivoCity, the largest shopping mall in Singapore. The Kampong Bahru Bus Terminal is located along Spooner Road, near the vicinity of the Singapore General Hospital.

Education

Gan Eng Seng School is one of the oldest schools in Singapore. It is located along Henderson Road.

Primary schools

• Alexandra Primary School
• Blangah Rise Primary School
• Cantonment Primary School
• CHIJ Kellock
• Gan Eng Seng Primary School
• Radin Mas Primary School
• Zhangde Primary School

Secondary schools

• Bukit Merah Secondary School
• CHIJ St. Theresa's Convent
• Crescent Girls' School
• Gan Eng Seng School

Tertiary Institutions

• Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School

Other schools

• Academy of Singapore Teachers (AST)
• APSN Tanglin School
• ISS International School (Preston Campus)
• North London Collegiate School (Singapore)
• Shelton College International

Amenities

Delta Sports Complex

The main facade of Tiong Bahru Plaza, after its refurbishment in 2016.

Panoramic view of Bukit Merah, with the Central Area in the background, from Mount Faber.

Places of Worship

Buddhist Temples

• Wat Ananda Metyarama Thai Buddhist Temple
• Kwan Yam Theng Buddhist Temple
• Buddhist Fellowship West Centre, in Yeo's building

Chinese Temples

• Ban Siew San Kuan Imm Temple (1880)
• Giok Hong Tian Temple (1887)
• Hock Teck Tong Temple (1932)
• Kai San Temple (1904)
• Kim Lan Beo Temple (1830, relocate in 1984)
• Leng San Teng Temple (1879)
• Koon Seng Ting Temple (1880)
• Lei Yin Temple (1957)
• Qi Tian Gong Temple (1920)
• Qi Tian Tan Temple (1949)
• Tai Yeong Kon Temple (1947)
• Tang Gah Beo Temple
• Telok Blangah Ting Kong Beo Temple (1923)

Chinese Clan Temples

• Lim See Tai Chong Soo Kiu Leong Tong Temple
• San Jiang Gong Ci Temple

Chinese Combined Temples

• Chia Leng Kong Heng Kang Tian Temple
• Chin Leng Keng (Leng San Teng, Chin Lin Keng & Ban Sian Beo)
• Temple of Liang Hong Sze Kong Hock Keng Heap Hoe Keng

Churches

• Grace Assembly of God 1
• Church of God Singapore
• Church of St. Teresa
• Danish Seamen's Church
• Grace Methodist Church
• Pasir Panjang Tamil Methodist Church
• St. Matthew's Church
• Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church

Hindu Temples

• Sri Ruthra Kaliamman Temple

Mosques

• Masjid Al-Amin Mosque
• Masjid Jamiyah Ar-Rabitah Mosque
• Masjid Kampong Delta Mosque
• Masjid Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim

Sikh Temples

• Gurdwara Sahib Silat Road

Shopping Centres

• Alexandra Central
• Alexandra Retail Centre
• Concorde Shopping Centre
• Depot Heights Shopping Centre
• HarbourFront Centre
• Tiong Bahru Plaza
• VivoCity

Parks

Panoramic view of Bukit Merah, with the Central Area in the background, from Mount Faber.

• Alexandra Canal Linear Park
• Alexandra Hill East Neighbourhood Park
• Bukit Purmei Hillock Park
• Henderson Park
• Labrador Nature Reserve
• Mount Faber Park
• Rumah Tinggi Eco Park
• Telok Blangah Hill Park
• Tiong Bahru Park

Community Centres/Clubs

• Bukit Merah Community Centre
• Henderson Community Club
• Kim Seng Community Centre
• Leng Kee Community Centre
• Radin Mas Community Club
• Telok Blangah Community Club
• Tiong Bahru Community Centre

Sports facilities

• Delta Sports Complex
• SAFRA Mount Faber
• Sports Lifestyle Centre

Politics

Bukit Merah belongs to six political divisions in four constituencies. A large portion of Bukit Merah is under Tanjong Pagar GRC with some areas under Jalan Besar GRC, Radin Mas SMC and West Coast GRC, served by the People's Action Party. As of the 2020 General election, the Members of Parliament for Tanjong Pagar GRC are Indranee Rajah for Tanjong Pagar-Tiong Bahru division, Joan Pereira for Henderson-Dawson division and Eric Chua for Queenstown division. Melvin Yong is the current Member of Parliament for Radin Mas SMC, Rachel Ong for Telok Blangah division of West Coast GRC and Josephine Teo for Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng division of Jalan Besar GRC. The planning area is overseen by three town councils, namely Tanjong Pagar Town Council (TPTC), West Coast Town Council (WCTC) and Jalan Besar Town Council (JBTC).

Bukit Merah is covered by two Community Development Councils (CDC), Central Singapore District and South West District. Denise Phua is the current mayor for Central CDC and Low Yen Ling is the current mayor for South West CDC.

See also

• Kim Seng Road
• Jalan Bukit Merah
• Alexandra

References

1. City Population – statistics, maps and charts | Bukit Merah
2. HDB Key Statistics FY 2014/2015 Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
3. "Statistics Singapore - Geographic Distribution - 2018 Latest Data" . Retrieved 11 February 2019.
4. "Singapore Residents by Planning Area/Subzone, 2015". Singapore Department of Statistics. Archived from the original (XLS) on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
5. "Statistics Singapore – Geographic Distribution". singstat.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 16 November 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
6. "Bukit Merah Town Centre". lostnfiledsg. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
7. "Singapore Bukit Merah Map & Bukit Merah Singapore". streetdirectory.com. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
8. "Singapore Infopedia – Bukit Merah". National Library Board.
9. "ALEXANDRA BRICKWORKS". The Straits Times . 17 February 1931.
10. "Three new stations to close loop on Circle Line". TODAYonline. Retrieved 13 March 2016.

Sources

• Victor R Savage, Brenda S A Yeoh (2003), Toponymics – A Study of Singapore Street Names, Eastern Universities Press, ISBN   981-210-205-1
• https://lostnfiledsg.wordpress.com/2012/08/09/bukit-merah-town-centre/
• http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_779_2005-01-26.html

External links

• Legend of Bukit Merah at the Singapore Museum website