Changi Beach Park

Changi Beach Park
Changi Beach Park
Changi Beach
	Changi Beach Park
	Location in Singapore
Type	Beach
Location	Changi, Singapore
Coordinates	1°23′00″N 104°00′06″E / 1.38333°N 104.00167°E
Area	28 hectares
Managed by	National Parks Board
Status	Open

Changi Beach Park^[a] is a beach park located at the northern tip of Changi in the eastern region of Singapore.

The 28-hectare beach park is one of the oldest coastal parks in Singapore, retaining the "kampung" or village atmosphere of the 1960s and '70s.

Description

The park is bounded by the sea on one side, opposite Pulau Ubin, and by Nicoll Drive and Changi Coast Road on the other. It stretches for about 3.3 km from Changi Point to Changi Ferry Terminal.^[1]

History

The Japanese occupation

Changi Beach served as one of the killing grounds of Sook Ching massacre for the Japanese Imperial Army during the Japanese occupation of Singapore of the Second World War, where 66 Chinese male civilians were killed on the beach by the Japanese Hojo Kempei on 20 February 1942.

The war monument plaque was erected at the Changi Beach Park (near Camp Site 2) in the eastern part of Singapore. The inscription on the monument plaque reads:

66 male civilians were killed by Japanese Hojo Kempei (auxiliary military police) firing at the water's edge on this stretch of Changi Beach on 20 February 1942. They were among tens of thousands who lost their lives during the Japanese Sook Ching operation to purge suspected anti-Japanese civilians among Singapore's Chinese population between 18 February and 4 March 1942. Tanah Merah Besar Beach, a few hundred metres south (now part of Singapore Changi Airport runway) was one of the most heavily-used killing grounds where well over a thousand Chinese men and youths lost their lives.
— National Heritage Board.^[2]

Development

In March 1948, the Malaya Tribune reported that the beach at Changi Point was a popular place for people to spend their weekends, with attap houses available for rent and an enclosed area for swimming constructed using ship and aircraft remains.^[3] In 1950, the local government announced plans for the development of the beach, with the construction of a road connecting the beach to Tanah Merah Besar Road, as well as amenities for changing and the provision of refreshments. In addition, the attap houses on the beach were also to be cleared.^[4]

In May 1953, further plans to turn 20 acres (8.1 ha) of the beach into a resort were announced. The resort was to eventually have a capacity of several thousand patrons, and was to initially have changing facilities, a park and a bathing pagar.^[5] The road connecting Changi beach to Tanah Merah Besar Road was completed by the end of 1954,^[6] and work on the resort was completed in May 1958, at a cost of less than $1 million, lower than estimated.^[7] In October 1959, volunteers mobilised by the Singapore government cleared Changi beach of vegetation and rubbish. The government also announced plans to expand the resort with facilities such as carparks, hawker stalls, and a playground for adolescents.^[8]

The 1970s and 1980s

In April 1970, plans to rent out four sites on the beach to private developers were announced by the government.^[9] By August 1971, four blocks of buildings containing dining establishments were built, and work on an 8 acres (3.2 ha) beach resort with fountains, sanitation facilities and restrooms was being carried out.^[10] A $600,000, 5 acres (2.0 ha) development near Changi Point, consisting of a 1000-seat restaurant, a coffeeshop, food stalls and 16 chalets, was completed by January 1972, and Aloha Rhu, a $250,000, 1.25 acres (0.51 ha) development with a Polynesian theme, was opened by Chinese New Year that year.^[11] In 1975, two-thirds of the beach was acquired by the government for the construction of a second runway as part of the development of Changi Airport.^[12] With the closure of a large part of the beach, the beach lost its popularity among beachgoers.^[13]

In November 1984, as part of plans to rejuvenate Changi Point, a 4,000 square metres (43,000 sq ft) portion of the beach was turned into a special park for children with eight playgrounds, sand pits, and park furniture.^[13] Constructed at a cost of $73,000, the facilities within the park were completed in May 1985.^[14] Between August 1987 and March 1988, the amenities at the park were improved.^[15]

The 2000s

In April 2001, the park was given a $4 million upgrade, which included new shelters and other facilities, intended to give the park a rustic charm.^[16]

Present

Changi Beach Park is popular among locals as a hangout for overnight family picnics, especially on weekends. Some individuals enjoy fishing, watching landing airplanes, jogging and watching the sunrise or sunset here. Sunrise can be viewed from the SAF Changi Ferry Terminal on the eastern end of the park and sunsets can be viewed from Changi Point. Barbecue parties, camping and watersports are some common activities. In addition, food lovers visit Changi Beach for seafood at the nearby The Seagrill, or for different food options at Changi Village.

The park has been designated with the code 9V-0009 by the international Parks On The Air award program, and so is regularly 'activated' by Amateur Radio operators using portable equipment.

Seahorse Monitoring Project

Since May 2009, the National Biodiversity Centre, together with volunteers from National Parks Board and nature groups such as Wild Singapore and TeamSeaGrass, initiated a project to monitor identified populations of Seahorse (Hippocampus kuda) and Pipefish (Syngnathoides biaculeatus) in several locations including Changi Beach for conservation management purposes. The data gathered will help to estimate the population size, growth rate of individuals and track their movements in their natural habitats.

Notes

^ (Chinese: 樟宜海滨公园; Malay: Taman Pantai Changi; Tamil: சாங்கி கடலோர பூங்கா)

References

^ "Changi Beach Park". nparks.gov.sg. National Parks Board. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
^ Modder, "Changi Beach Massacre", p. 69.
^ "Changi Point Is Loadstar For Sunday Picnickers". Sunday Tribune. Singapore. 21 March 1948. p. 7. Retrieved 28 November 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
^ "Big Plans To Beautify Colony's Holiday Spots". Singapore Standard. Singapore. 28 July 1950. p. 2. Retrieved 28 November 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
^ "New Changi beach to have everything but a hotel". The Straits Times. Singapore. 22 May 1953. p. 8. Retrieved 28 November 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
^ "The Changi restort is a step nearer". The Singapore Free Press. Singapore. 28 August 1954. p. 5. Retrieved 28 November 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
^ "Changi and Pasir Ris beaches improved". The Singapore Free Press. Singapore. 30 May 1958. p. 7. Retrieved 28 November 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
^ "10,000 for big clean-up operation at Changi beach". The Straits Times. Singapore. 13 October 1959. p. 4. Retrieved 28 November 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
^ "New look for Changi beach". The Straits Times. Singapore. 30 April 1970. p. 5. Retrieved 29 November 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
^ "Soon—a new look for Changi beach". New Nation. Singapore. 21 August 1971. p. 3. Retrieved 29 November 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
^ Chan, Douglas (5 January 1972). "A new look Changi Beach soon". New Nation. Singapore. Retrieved 29 November 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
^ "End soon to days of fun in the sun at Changi". New Nation. Singapore. 9 September 1975. p. 1. Retrieved 29 November 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
^ ^a ^b Yap, Matthew (10 November 1984). "Plans to attract picnickers back to Changi Point". The Straits Times. Singapore. p. 44. Retrieved 2 December 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
^ Chan, Linda (5 May 1985). "Miniature castles to adorn Changi Point playground". Singapore Monitor. Singapore. p. 6. Retrieved 2 December 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
^ "All land". Business Times. Singapore. 14 March 1987. p. 2. Retrieved 2 December 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
^ "Changi beach gets $4 million facelift". Today. Singapore. 2 April 2001. p. 2.