A housing estate in the central region of Singapore and part of Toa Payoh, Bidadari was once a spooky sight. Row and rows of tombstones filled the area, as it was a cemetery for burial for various religions and races.
Today, you can only see rows and rows of homes built over 93 hectares of terrain. Since November 2012, there have been over 8,800 Housing and Development Board (HDB) units launched.
Read Also: Which Are The Most And Least Dense Housing Estates In Singapore?
From Cemetery To Sprawling Estate
Before Bidadari became a cemetery, it was a residence as early as the 1800s. Bidadari then was acquired by a British Civil Engineer Henry Minchin Simmons in 1855 who later exchanged it with William Napier for his estate. It was then sold to Temenggong Abu Bakar in the mid-1860s. The estate was then known as Bidadari and Istana Bidadari about the beauty of the Temenggong’s wife.
In Malay, Bidadari means “angel”, or angels that preside over a union of flowers.
The name was therefore also quite suitable when the Municipal Commissioners then were looking for new spaces for the dead to rest due to a lack of space at the Bukit Timah Cemetery for Christian burials. The Bidadari estate was seen as the most suitable, with the soil being porous and sandy for burial purposes.
In 1902, there were plans made to develop it into a Christian Cemetery. The Bidadari Cemetery officially opened in 1908.
There were subsequent additions to Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist burial sections. The cemetery continued to take in burials until 1972. 30 years later, the government announced that the Bidadari Cemetery was selected for development.
The Bidadari cemetery was one of the oldest cemeteries in Singapore, and had 147,000 graves within its Muslim, Christian, and Hindu burial grounds. By 2006, all known graves were exhumed to make way for the development of the Bidadari Estate.
The gates of the former Bidadari Cemetery were relocated, as well as several tombstones of key historical figures, to Bidadari Memorial Garden at 10 Vernon Park.
In 2013, the HDB shared plans for a housing estate to reside over the former cemetery. Some roads were realigned and some were built to serve the upcoming estate.
A New Housing Area With Over 10 BTO Projects
The estate was first unveiled as a new housing area in 2013, made up of 12 Build-To-Order (BTO) projects across four districts – Alkaff, Bartley Heights, Park Edge, and Woodleigh. The estate, when fully completed, will have 10,000 flats.
Image Credit: HDB
Due to the layout of the estate, there are units with unblocked views facing the south, and residents can have a breathtaking view of the skyline.
Between Sept 2022 and Mar 2023, three BTO projects (Woodleigh Glen, Woodleigh Hillside, and Woodleigh Village) were the first to be completed. The projects had begun construction before 2020 but Covid-19 threw a spanner in the works. Today, more than 90% of buyers in the Woodleigh district have collected the keys to their homes, according to HDB.
Alkaff district will be the next to be completed. It is the largest district in Bidadari with more than 4,000 units.
The other two districts – Park Edge and Bartley Heights – are expected to be completed by mid-2025.
Central Location With North-East And Circle Line Connectivity
The Bidadari estate is situated along MRT stations from the North-East Line and Circle Line. In January 2018, three new roads (Bidadari Park Drive, Alkaff Crescent, and Woodleigh Link) were opened to serve upcoming residential and commercial developments in the estate.
Three MRT stations – Woodleigh, Potong Pasir, and Bartley are situated at various corners of the estate. Travelling from Woodleigh MRT to Dhoby Ghaut Interchange will take around 15 minutes, making it convenient for those who work in the Central Business District.
Singapore’s first underground air-conditioned bus interchange is in the estate, next to Woodleigh MRT station and connected via an underground link. You can get to Bidadari Park via bus 100, 13, 133, 147 and 853M.
Bidadari Park Drive Road stretches 1.6km from Bartley Road to Upper Serangoon Road.
Bidadari Park And Green Design
The Bidadari Park is located at the centre of the estate and is essentially a new green lung for residents in that area.
With a size of 10 hectares (the size of about 15 football fields), it has greenery that allows migratory birds to rest and feed while transiting through Singapore along the East Asia-Australasian Flyway network. You can spot rare birds at the park from September to March every year.
Image Credit: HDB
There is also the Alkaff Lake within the park, which is a re-creation of the former lake in the 1930s before it was filled up in 1964. The lake acts as a retainer for stormwater to prevent floods in the area.
Conserved woodlands, such as the Nest House Playground, are where residents can reconnect with nature while playing at the outdoor feature. Some park benches are made of felled timber, as part of the entire ecological movement.
Image Credit: CPG Consultants
The heritage walk in the estate provides information for residents to understand the rich heritage of Bidadari. The Heritage Walk starts at Woodleigh MRT Station and ends at the Memorial Garden, conserving relics of Bidadari Cemetery. The large trees were retained from excavation and redevelopment to provide shade and rest for those taking a walk.
The park links to various parts of the estate. There is also a cycling and pedestrian trial to run through the green corridors of the Bidadari Park and Bidadari Greenway.
Featured Image Credit: Lee Kip Lin and National Library Board, ZKang123/Wikipedia
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