…a 14-hectare precinct in Moulmein, near Novena. From the very first General Election in 1968 to date, this area has seen EIGHT constituency changes—the highest in Singapore. Here’s how it played out over the years:
| Election Year | Constituency |
|---|---|
| 1968 | Moulmein SMC |
| 1972 | Moulmein SMC |
| 1976 | Farrer Park SMC |
| 1980 | Moulmein SMC |
| 1984 | Moulmein SMC |
| 1988 | Moulmein SMC |
| 1991 | Kampong Glam 4-Member GRC |
| 1997 | Kreta Ayer-Tanglin 4-Member GRC |
| 2001 | Tanjong Pagar 6-Member GRC |
| 2006 | Tanjong Pagar 6-Member GRC |
| 2011 | Moulmein-Kallang 4-Member GRC |
| 2015 | Bishan-Toa Payoh 5-Member GRC |
| 2020 | Jalan Besar 4-Member GRC |
From the table, you can tell that the area also came under eight different constituencies since independence. That’s got to induce an identity crisis for anybody who grew up here. In fact, the entire area of Moulmein has undergone at least five constituency changes, depending on the neighbourhood.
What’s the big deal about this place?
Measuring the area of about 14 football fields, this mostly residential area is not big at all. For residents here, however, living within walking distance of the Novena MRT station and commercial hub, with malls such as United Square, Velocity and Square2, is priceless.
There’s also Tan Tock Seng Hospital nearby, which in the midst of transforming into a massive 17-hectare integrated medical hub called Healthcity Novena.
Located within District 11 (Novena/Newton), the neighbourhood is also considered a prime location, and there are about 700 condominium and private apartment units and another 30 or so landed properties here.
A 71-unit freehold luxury condo, Fyve Derbyshire, is currently being built right next to a well-regarded primary school, St. Josephs Institution (Junior), and slated for a 2022 completion. And the condo looks pretty darn good.
Opposite Fyve Derbyshire is Lion Towers, by far the oldest condo in the area. Built in 1974, it has witnessed all eight consituency changes from GE 1976 to date.
Because of the era in which the condo was built, there’s no swimming pool, but units here are gigantic by today’s standards: a standard 3-bedroom unit measures 1,862 square feet (sq ft), nearly double the size of a HDB 4-room flat!
Most other condos in this area—the two largest being Thomson Euro-Asia (completed in 2002) and 6 Derbyshire (2017)—were built in the past twenty years, with the cheapest of the lot being shoebox-sized apartments at [email protected] priced from $600k upwards.
Oh, there’s also a lonely block of HDB flats.
Then there’s Block 69, Moulmein Road, a 20-storey HDB point block that stands alone on the other end of the neighbourhood, furthest from Novena MRT station.
The hustle and bustle here comes from traffic exiting the Central Expressway (CTE) onto Moulmein Road. Why would HDB build just one block of flats here, and not together with the nearest cluster of flats at Whampoa, about 350 metres away?
It turns out that the Block 69 was built back in 1972, at around the time Lion Towers was built and well before the CTE was constructed in the mid-80s.
At that time, there was a nearby cluster of 30 old housing blocks built by HDB’s predecessor, the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT), which was later demolished to make way for the expressway.
According to the Remember Singapore, Block 69 was put up for balloting a few months before its completion in 1972. Each of 76 four-room, 904 sq ft units was sold at $15,500.
The location proved to be so popular that only 10% of the applicants were successful in getting a unit!
Never mind that Block 69 is now sandwiched by a main road and an expressway, the flats here remain highly sought after to this day. Two units changed hands in March 2020, one for $540k and the other for $550k. (Fun fact: There’s a durian tree next to this block, which became the focal point for a dispute eight years ago.)
And turns out there’s a plus point in being isolated. On the higher floors, residents are treated to unblocked views all round, such as this panorama of the city.
Within the neighbourhood, you’ll also be able to spot a display of religious harmony in Singapore: three places of worships of different faiths, located side-by-side:
Not too far away from here, this stretch of Balestier has also come under eight different consituencies since the first General Election in 1968. The difference is that instead of having come under Farrer Park SMC, this was originally part of Toa Payoh SMC, before being part of Moulmein SMC.
Since the 1980 election, the area has been under the same constituences as the Moulmein neighbourhood.
Aside from being one of the better known ‘foodie havens’ in Singapore, Balestier is also known for affordable private housing in the city fringe area, with easy access to two expressways, CTE, PIE as well as the upcoming North South Corridor.
There’s a freehold, new launch condo here called Verticus, if you haven’t heard. There’s also a handful of attractive high-rise condos nearer to Thomson Road, such as Cube 8, 368 Thomson and The Arte.
Again, it’s not all condos in this part of Balestier. There’s a small cluster of HDB flats located on Ah Hood Road, called Ah Hood Gardens, which were built in 1982.
Most homes here also happen to be within walking distance to Toa Payoh MRT station and Town Centre amenities, accessible via two overhead bridges across the PIE.
Why did electoral boundaries change so frequently for these areas?
The boundaries of electoral constituencies are decided by the Elections Department (ELD), which is under the control of the Prime Minister’s Office. A few months before an election is scheduled, the ELD convenes an Electoral Boundaries Review Committee made up of senior civil servants.
The Committee then decides, according to population changes and shifts, whether to redraw the boundaries of electoral divisions that make up a constituency.
Since city fringe areas have been experiencing rapid redevelopment in the past two decades, with changes such as old shophouses making way for high-rise condos, it’s more likely that electoral boundaries in these areas will have to be redrawn whenever election time comes.
Besides Moulmein and Balestier, other city fringe areas such as Kampong Java, Farrer Park and Bukit Ho Swee also saw frequency constituency changes.
Here’s the rundown of other neighbourhoods in Singapore that have had more than five constituency changes:
Do you live in an area with frequent constituency changes? Let us know in the comments!
If you liked this article, check out 99.co’s election stories such as Heng Swee Keat, here’s your East Coast Plan ok? and 5 facts that make you question the “I grew up in a rental flat” election-speak
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