These days, residents in Nee Soon have practically everything at their doorstep. Food markets, malls, libraries, a hospital, two polyclinics, plenty of recreational facilities and even a public hot spring. It is safe to say that this enclave up north is no longer the backwater many have made it out to be. Instead, Nee Soon, home to nearly 200,000 residents, is now a vibrant and family-friendly town with a rich and unique history.
It wasn’t always that way. And just like Rome was not built in a day, neither was Nee Soon. Here’s a look at how careful planning and progressive development transformed the Nee Soon into what we know and love today.
Pre-1965: Nee Soon in colonial times
Way before the area became known as Nee Soon, northern Singapore was filled with farms, rubber and pineapple plantations. The largest of these plantations was leased by one of Singapore’s earliest entrepreneurs, Lim Nee Soon. The King of Pineapples, as he was known, managed 6,000 acres of land that forms part of today’s Nee Soon and Sembawang.
By the 1920s, the banks of Seletar River had become synonymous with Nee Soon. As a landlord to the villagers who worked for him, Nee Soon looked after their welfare and helped develop settlements around the plantations. His generosity left a lasting legacy. In recognition of his efforts, in 1930, the British government renamed Jia Chui Kang Village into Nee Soon Village after the man himself.
Throughout the post-war era, the kampongs that comprised modern-day Nee Soon were typical of how Singaporeans lived then. Many families were cramped in overcrowded shacks with poor public sanitation and no flushing toilets. This was an era when water was still drawn from the well, and roadside taps were a rarity.
1965 – 1970s: A village on the cusp of change
When Singapore became newly independent, change came to Nee Soon. The young PAP Government introduced piped water and electricity to the villages. Around the same time, community centres grew in prominence.
It was, after all, a time of great divide between races and clans. Community centres became a meeting ground for Singaporeans to participate in shared activities. Playing sports, borrowing books and watching TV programs on a communal television, at a time when these appliances were luxuries.
Right up to the 1970s, Nee Soon retained its old-world charm. The area remains an amalgamation of villages, with residents cultivating fruits, vegetables and livestock for a living. Yet once a year, Nee Soon also played host to a star-studded event – the Singapore Grand Prix.
Along a winding street circuit of what is now Upper Thomson Road, drivers from around the world would descend upon this part of Singapore. The area was a hair’s breadth of Nee Soon Village, which became the unofficial gathering point for guests attending the race. The last race ended in 1973, cancelled due to safety concerns after two deaths in two years.
Motorsports would not return to Singapore until 2008, and it remains a source of pride to many that the precursor to the Formula One race started in the humble village of Nee Soon.
1980s – 1990s: The metamorphosis of Nee Soon
In 1976, to provide housing for the rapidly growing population, the Government initiated the Nee Soon New Town Project. High-rise HDB flats replaced shanty wooden huts. Transport links improved with the opening of Khatib and Yishun MRT stations, which began operations in 1989. Urbanisation finally reached its zenith in the north, with the now familiar new town, beginning to take shape.
With a rail connection in place, Nee Soon began drawing in visitors from other parts of Singapore. This was due, in part, to a heartland feature of which Nee Soon was a pioneer. And that was the rise of the suburban mall.
Today, the gargantuan Northpoint City remains the beating commercial heart of Nee Soon. But it was in the world of cinema that Nee Soon left a mark, not only on film aficionados but on the cinema operators of Singapore.
Built in 1993, Yishun 10 was Asia’s first Cineplex. Nobody thought a cinema with ten auditoriums screening films concurrently would work. But it did. And to think it all started here in Nee Soon.
2000 to now: Rejuvenating our heartlands
By the turn of the millennium, Nee Soon had become a self-contained town and one of Singapore’s many success stories. MPs of Nee Soon turned their attention to addressing the changing needs of the community, with big plans to spruce up and rejuvenate the neighbourhood with greener, more inviting and inclusive spaces.
The rejuvenation has brought about new parks, playgrounds, bike lanes, covered walkways and sporting facilities. A network of two hospitals and polyclinics, wellness kampungs and a caregiver resource centre, makes Nee Soon the healthcare hub of the north.
Over the years, the changes in Nee Soon (both big and small) have made this northern suburb a tranquil and attractive place to live. To fulfil the aspiration of Singaporeans who want to make Nee Soon home, the Government has been planning new public housing projects in the area.
Nee Soon’s Chencharu estate will have more than 10,000 new public and private homes, announced Minister for National Development Desmond Lee at the Committee of Supply (COS) debate in March. So far, 1,200 BTO flats have been launched in June, with more to come in the years ahead.
These days, the Nee Soon we see today is a far cry from the rubber plantation that lines its streets and the dilapidated settlements surrounding it. Instead, it is a bustling and modern community for young and old alike. And with the PAP in charge, we can be sure that Nee Soon will continue to evolve into a heartland fit for the future.
Photo Source: National Archives/ Roots.sg/ AIC / HDB/ Louis Ng/ K Shanmugam via Facebook
