The Bedok planning area as delineated by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) in 1994 is bounded by Siglap Canal, Marine Parade Road, Still Road, Jalan Eunos, Eunos Link and Airport Road to the west, the Paya Lebar Airport boundary to the north and the Bedok Canal to the east. Encompassing an area of approximately 2,157 ha, it includes within its boundaries sub-zones such as Kaki Bukit, Kembangan, Frankel and Siglap.
Part of the Bedok planning area was reclaimed as part of the massive East Coast Reclamation Scheme Phase 1. Old Bedok Road in 1930 was a rather narrow country road with little traffic and laden with coconut trees on both sides. The Simpang Bedok Village, which stood on high ground, offered a good view of the Singapore Strait. Its inhabitants were mostly Malay and Chinese fishermen. The reclamation of Bedok in the 1960s led many fishermen to turn to other means of earning a living, such as selling cigarettes, food and drinks.
The East Coast Reclamation Scheme
The East Coast Reclamation Scheme was launched in April 1966 and was completed 20 years later at the end of 1986. Prior to this project, a smaller reclamation project had taken place in 1963 to reclaim 19 ha of land at 14 km East Coast Road. The East Coast Reclamation Scheme scheme was carried out in seven phases at a total cost of $613 million. It reclaimed 1,525 ha and added about 1km of shoreline. For this reclamation project, The Housing and Development Board (HDB) acted as the agent for the government, undertaking the planning, design and supervision of construction.
Reclamation methods
Fill material used in the reclamation project was obtained through the cutting of hills in Siglap and Tampines. The area was subsequently excavated to form Bedok Reservoir. The cut soil was then transported by belt conveyors all the way to a loading jetty off Bedok, loaded onto barges and dumped directly into the reclaimed area. Bulldozers and dump trucks then spread, graded and compacted the reclaimed land to its final levels.
Impact
The reclaimed land has been used for the construction of residential housing, commercial buildings and recreational facilities. Residential units included private housing and high-rise HDB flats. While it expanded land use, conservationists have lamented the consequential loss of natural coastlines as well as the threat of reclamation to existing marine life.
Author
Marsita Omar
References
Chia, L. S, & Chou, L. M. (Eds). (1991). Urban coastal area management: The experience of Singapore. (p. 61). Manila.: International Center for Living Aquatic Resources.
(Call no.: RSING 333.91715095 SIN).
Chia, L. S, Chou, L. M, & Khan, H. (Eds). (1988). The coastal environmental profile of Singapore. (p. 41). Manila: International Center for Living Aquatic Resources.
(Call no.: RSING 333.917095957 CHI).
Ramachandran. S (1961). Singapore landmarks, past and present. (p. 5). Singapore: Eastern University Press.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 RAM-[HIS]).
Urban Redevelopment Authority. (1994). Bedok Planning Area: Planning report 1996 (p. 5-10) Singapore Urban Redevelopment Authority.
(Call no.: 711.4095957 SIN)
The information in this article is valid as at 2007 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.
