Yew Tee
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (August 2012) |
Yew Tee | |
|---|---|
Planning Area & Housing Estate | |
| Name transcription(s) | |
| • Chinese | 油池 Yóuchí (Pinyin) Iû-tî (Hokkien POJ) Iû-tî (Teochew PUJ) |
| • Malay | Yew Tee |
| • Tamil | இயூ டீ Iyū ṭī (Transliteration) |
 Aerial view of the town center before 2009 | |
| Country | Singapore |
| Population (2024)[1] | |
• Total | 39,620 |
Yew Tee is a residential area in the West Region of Singapore. Yew Tee is a cluster of Housing and Development Board flats and private condominiums. Yew Tee is under the Marsiling–Yew Tee Group Representation Constituency. The current Members of Parliament in the Marsiling—Yew Tee Town Council are Lawrence Wong, Alex Yam, Hany Soh and Zaqy Mohamad from the People's Action Party (PAP).
Etymology and history
[edit]Yew Tee is originally a village off Woodlands Road, near present-day Gali Batu Depot.[2] During the Japanese Occupation of Singapore, oil was stored in the village and the village became known as Yew Tee ("oil pond" in Teochew).[2]
The village used to have more than 300 families residing there which consists mostly of farmers growing vegetables and rearing ducks and chickens.[2] In the 1980s, development of the area led to the villagers moving away from Yew Tee.[2] Yew Tee became a household name with the construction of the Yew Tee MRT station which is located where the village used to be, near Stagmont Ring.[3]
The Yew Tee Community Centre, set up in 1963 and one of Singapore's oldest community centres, closed down in 1998. The closure was due to under-utilisation which reflects the exodus of population from the area.[3]
The name of the neighbourhood of Limbang ("balance" in Malay) was derived from an old road, Lorong Limbang.[4] Lorongs were common in the past before urban redevelopment such as Lorong Kebasi, Lorong Bistari and Lorong Keduang (present-day Choa Chu Kang Drive).
Housing
[edit]As part of the Choa Chu Kang New Town, all the apartments are built after 1993. Yew Tee is divided into two towns - Limbang and Yew Tee. Limbang has a smaller land area than Yew Tee. Yew Tee Point serves Yew Tee residents while Limbang Shopping Center serves Limbang residents.
Infrastructure
[edit]Education
[edit]There are several primary and secondary schools in Yew Tee. Primary schools consist of De La Salle School, Kranji Primary School, Unity Primary School and Yew Tee Primary School. Secondary schools consist of Kranji Secondary School, Regent Secondary School and Unity Secondary School.
Transportation
[edit]Yew Tee has a MRT station, Yew Tee MRT station, opened in 1996 as part of the 16-km Woodlands Extension. The station is part of the city's North-South line. The town is served by public buses such as Service 302 and Service 307 from the Choa Chu Kang Bus Interchange. In Dec 2015, under the DTL2 Bukit Panjang Bus Service Enhancements, Service 979 was introduced to provide a vital link for Yew Tee residents to Bukit Panjang, the Downtown Line. There are also new short-haul buses added to bring residents from Choa Chu Kang/ Yew Tee to Bukit Panjang MRT Station.
Recreation
[edit]There are 3 parks in Yew Tee, namely Limbang Park, Stagmont Park and Yew Tee Park. There is also a sports complex located within the vicinity of Yew Tee. In March 2009, a new shopping mall and condominium was opened. The shopping mall is known as Yew Tee Point and the condominium is known as Yew Tee Residences. The Pang Sua Canal park connector forms part of the Western Adventure Loop linking various parks in Yew Tee, Choa Chu Kang and Bukit Panjang. In 2019, Minister Lawrence Wong announced plans for a new integrated hub in Yew Tee, known as Heart of Yew Tee. It will house a community club, a 10-storey HDB block catering to seniors, a hawker centre, a polyclinic, a kidney dialysis centre, retail outlets and a community plaza. It is set to be completed in 2027.[5][6]
Army camps
[edit]The Kranji Camp was built in 1994 when Yew Tee was developed. Thereafter, the military police and Kranji Detention Barracks was moved in from the Woodlands Camp in 2000. There was a growing need for the expansion of Kranji Camp, called Kranji Camp II which was built in 2004. The Mowbray Camp and Police Dog K9 Unit were shifted from Ulu Pandan in 2003 to Kranji. The Kranji Camp III was built in 2009 to replace Ayer Rajah Camp and Portsdown Camp due to the redevelopment of the one-north area for the chemical sciences and lifestyle hub.
Notable Mentions
[edit]Yew Tee in YouTuber Ghib Ojisan's YouTube Video
[edit]Yew Tee was featured in Japanese YouTuber Ghib Ojisan's YouTube video titled "I Visited the Most Depressing Town in Singapore" in October 2023. The video featured interactions with residents and documented various aspects of the neighbourhood, including the neighbourhood's Kopitiam, wet market and the Pang Sua park connector. Ojisan ultimately challenged the negative perception associated with the area, highlighting its simplicity and community atmosphere.[7][8]
foodpanda's Initiative in Yew Tee
[edit]In August 2024, food and grocery delivery platform foodpanda offered all 53,000 households in Yew Tee a complimentary one-month pandapro subscription, providing access to unlimited free deliveries.[9] The initiative was a reference to Yew Tee's online reputation as a "boring" neighbourhood, and aimed to challenge the neighbourhood's bad reputation by showcasing the area’s range of local eateries and lesser-known restaurants.
Feature on AsiaOne
[edit]In August 2024, Yew Tee was also featured in an AsiaOne article titled "Picturesque parks, wildlife and unlimited free foodpanda deliveries: Why Yew Tee isn't as 'boring' as you think".[10] Aiming to challenge the neighbourhood's reputation as "the most boring neighbourhood in Singapore", the article highlighted various activities and attractions in the neighbourhood, including scenic parks, friendly residents, recent food delivery initiatives, and sightings of stray dogs and wild boars.
References
[edit]- ^ "2020 Census of Population: Geographical Distribution of Residents (Tables 88 to 91)". Department of Statistics Singapore. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
- ^ a b c d Savage, Victor R. (2013). Singapore street names : a study of toponymics. Brenda S. A. Yeoh. Singapore. p. 939. ISBN 978-981-4484-74-9. OCLC 868957283.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b Ratnala, Thulaja, Naidu; Singapore, National Library Board. "Chinese villages in the North". www.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Singapore, Remember (2015-04-20). "Remnants of Singapore's Lost Roads – Lorong Bistari". Remember Singapore. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
- ^ Koh, Fabian (15 December 2019). "Yew Tee to have Singapore's second vertical 'kampung' with flats for seniors, ready by 2026". The Straits Times. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
- ^ Chong, Clara (25 November 2024). "Construction set to start in Yew Tee on S'pore's second 'vertical kampung'". The Straits Times. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
- ^ Ghib Ojisan (2023-10-20). I Visited the Most Depressing Town in Singapore. Retrieved 2024-08-21 – via YouTube.
- ^ Gunasellan, Venkat (23 October 2023). "'There's nothing much going on here': Ghib Ojisan visits 'most depressing' neighbourhood in Singapore". AsiaOne. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
- ^ "foodpanda brings free deliveries to 'most boring' neighbourhood in SG". Marketing-Interactive. 2024-08-12. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
- ^ LIND, RICHARD (1986-12-01). "Why Isn't Minimal Art Boring?". The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism. 45 (2): 195–198. doi:10.1111/1540_6245.jaac45.2.0195. ISSN 1540-6245.