District 28 is where the British once had their air and naval bases, so this area has a lot of cultural and historical significance. This district is comprised of Seletar and a section of Yio Chu Kang. Reflecting the area’s history, the Seletar Aerospace Park is being developed here to support the aviation industry. Residential areas are situated in secluded parts of Seletar, away from more urbanised sections of town. These are landed properties with bungalows as well as semi-detached houses. 

Seletar

The name Seletar comes from the aboriginals who originally occupied coastal areas along the Johor Straits and the Orang Seletar River. These areas have now been dammed up to make way for the Lower Seletar Reservoir. In pre-colonial days, Abu Bakar of Johor was rumoured to have asked those living along the coast to move to Sungai Pulai, which is in southwest Johor. The Chinese translation for Seletar is “koon kung,” which means naval base. 

The Seletar Air Base was built in 1928 and commercial airlines like British Imperial Airways, KLM and Empire Airways made good use of it until 1937. It is now being used to train new pilots who are Singaporean members of the Singapore Youth Flying Club. Nature lovers are drawn to Seletar for its Upper Seletar Resevoir and Lower Seletar Resevoir Park. Residents who love golf can play at Seletar Country Club Golf Course or Seletar Base Golf Course. 

Yio Chu Kang

Yio Chu Kang is a residential area of District 28, but at one time this area was filled with pepper and gambier plantations. This is in stark contrast with all the high-rise apartment buildings and low-density housing that exists here today. Yio Chu Kang is most known for being where the Himalayan Centre for Yoga Meditation is located, as well as the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS).