Punggol, located in the northeast part of the country, is a waterfront town that has gone through changes, making it one of the most popular Singapore estates. Once regarded as "ulu" or far out of the way, the Punggol Waterway has helped to make a name for the area, with thousands of people calling the HDB flats their home in this charming town. 

Punggol, which stands for "hurling sticks at tree branches to loosen fruits from their stems" in Malay, is considered Singapore's oldest residential region. Many governmental housing projects were developed in the 1960s but have since been replaced with HDB estates and condos. Thanks to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's announcement of the Punggol 21-Plus plan, the area grew even more. The plan added more housing and led to the development of water supply reservoirs, among many other things. 

The area, which is home to nearly 190,000 residents, is broken down into four subdivisions, allowing for better planning for infrastructure. These subdivisions are Punggol East, Punggol Point, Punggol Riverside and Punggol Riviera.  

 

Punggol's Living Environment, Facilities and Amenities 

People interested in moving here have many choices to consider, but if the idea of condo living appeals to you, the newly constructed A Treasure Trove, Parc Centros,  River Isles are certainly offering modern living with amazing facilities. Others developed or soon to be developed include the Prive@Punggol, RiverParc and Waterbay condos.

There are numerous Built-to-Order (BTO) flats offered by HDB in Punggol, and in addition to that there are many choices HDB resale flats less than 10 years old available.

With people moving into the area, there is a need for schools. The Punggol community is home to three primary schools (Greendale Primary School, Edgefield Primary School and Mee Toh Primary Schoo) and three secondary ones (Greendale Secondary School, Punggol Secondary School and Compassvale Secondary School).  There are also two universities in the area:

• Saint Francis Xavier Major Seminary 
• University of New Brunswick (UNB)

Being a family-oriented community, there is a need for hospitals and places of worship. Punggol is a community that offers many of these. If you have a non-emergent and emergent need, there are many hospitals in the area to go to, including Bright Vision Hospital, Buangkok Green Medical Park and Institute of Mental Health. 

Singapore is known to be a religious country for people of all faiths. Punggol offers religious facilities for many faiths, including the Central Christian Church, Fo Guang Shan and Tian Jun Temple. 

 

Where To Go For Good Times In Punggol 

If you want to relax, Punggol offers ample options to choose from. For example, the Punggol Waterway Park was created for everybody – young and old. Residents can enjoy a day at the park, people-watching, walking, jogging, cycling, etc. And, if you don't have a bicycle, you can always visit Punggol Point End in the park to rent one. They offer all kinds of bicycles in various designs. 

Since Punggol is located near the sea, you can also partake in various water activities – fishing, late-night prawning, skin diving or wakeboarding. 

At Punggol Ranch's Gallop Stables, you can take a horse-carriage ride or ride an actual pony or horse. Horseback riding gives you a rare chance to really see and experience Singapore. 

Of course, if you just want to spend the day relaxing at the beach, Punggol Beach is available for the downtime. If you like the idea of reading a good book in a public setting, there are the Sengkang Community Library or Fu Hui Library. 

Other things to get involved in include the Marina Country Club, PA Punggol Point Holiday Camp and Rivervale Community Center. 

If you need or want to do a little shopping, there are no short supplies of places to go and check out. However, the two primary places to check out include Waterway Point and Punggol Plaza. Punggol Plaza is the one-stop-shop for all residents' needs, including groceries, clothing, banking, medical clinics, etc.  

Waterway Point is dedicated to family-fun entertainment and includes a learning center, wet/dry playground and interactive water fountain play area. There is also a movie theater and grocery store here. But, what makes Waterway Point mall stand out from the others is its various dining options at the Waterfront Promenade and Alfresco Dining. 

Seeing that Punggol is a waterfront community, many of the restaurants here offer seafood. The Punggol Settlement has a plethora of seafood restaurants that create seafood of foreign cuisines, not just Chinese. One such foreign cuisine can be found at Horizone Bistronomy, which offers French food. At Georges by the Bay, you can enjoy Balinese dishes. 

The most popular places in Punggol is the bistro-cun-bars called Frienzie Bar & Bistro and Bacon & Booze. These restaurants offer all kinds of liquor to try with delicious food. Bacon lovers will get a kick out of the Bacon & Booze restaurant, as they can drink a beer and watch soccer on the establishment's TVs.

Other restaurants to try include:

• Jack's Place
• Yoshinoya

There is no doubt how much Punggol HDB Estate has grown, and with more people looking for tasty seafood dishes and an exciting lifestyle, the chances of growth are high. With numerous amenities and facilities in Punggol, population growth is anticipated in the coming years.

 

Interesting Tidbits

• Punggol is well-known in Singapore for its many seafood restaurants.
• Punggol Point is where the Japanese killed 400 or so Chinese civilians in World War II.

 

HDB Resale Flats Prices in Punggol

Punggol HDB Resale Flat Prices
Flat type	Average Price
1-room	N/A
2-room	$249,000
3-room	$355,000
4-room	$462,000
5-room	$518,000
Executive	$540,000
Multi-Generation	N/A

Source: HDB resale price index portal, average transaction prices, June 2019 to June 2020

The prices of HDB resale flats in Punggol are relatively high when comparing them to prices in other non-mature estates as the flats are generally younger than those in other non-mature estates. HDB resale flat prices in Punggol are more aligned with the prices in mature estates. However, it is an extremely popular town with a magnificent waterway and a very bright future. A shopping mall and other developments are planned for this estate that make buying a home here an excellent investment. 

Residents love the convenience of the town's beautiful 1.5km trail that goes along Old Punggol Road and joins up Punggol Digital District and Punggol Waterway Park with Punggol Jetty. If you buy here, you'll be close enough to the waterfront that you can routinely enjoy horseback riding, fine dining and cycling. 

Furthermore, plans are in the works for the opening of Punggol Town Hub in 2021, which will offer amenities like a community club, local library, childcare centre, and hawker centre as well as medical facilities. The Linear Green path is also being built beneath the viaduct, so residents will be able to walk with their children to various playgrounds. There is also a fitness corner planned that will link up to Punggol's Regional Sports Centre and SAFRA. 

In terms of transportation, Punggol's connectivity will be improved, and that includes road repairs and other improvements.