New Bukit Gombak Park opens with Highest Point at 45 Metres Above Sea Level

- 4.8-hectare park for residents to enjoy greater accessibility to green spaces, recreational facilities such as a dog run, nature-inspired play area and fitness area

- Community plays important roles in developing park and volunteering

- Upcoming community nursery to contribute to the OneMillionTrees movement

The National Parks Board (NParks) today opened Bukit Gombak Park, which features an elevation of 45 metres above sea level. The 4.8-hectare Bukit Gombak Park provides surrounding residents with tranquil areas to enjoy nature, recreational spaces for families, and opportunities for the community to experience gardening and be closer to nature. These are part of NParks’ efforts to intensify nature in our parks and bring forth the health and well-being benefits of nature to Singaporeans in our City in Nature. NParks is also planning for a community nursery at Bukit Gombak Park, which will contribute to the OneMillionTrees movement.

To commemorate the opening of Bukit Gombak Park, Mr Gan Kim Yong (Minister for Trade and Industry and Adviser to Chua Chu Kang GROs), and Ms Low Yen Ling (Minister of State, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth & Ministry of Trade and Industry, Mayor, South West District, and Adviser to Bukit Gombak GROs) planted an Asam Kuang tree (Dracontomelon dao).

Bringing nature closer to park goers

Located on a hill, Bukit Gombak Park enables park goers to appreciate nature up close. Visitors can now embark on an inclined 400m-looped hill trek which includes a flight of 108 steps for a panoramic view of the surrounding forest and greenery.

Situated at the highest point of the park at 45m above sea level, the Butterfly Garden features butterfly-attracting plants and over 20 species of butterflies that can be found in the garden. The features and landscape of Bukit Gombak Park have also been curated to be more naturalistic, and more than 1,500 trees have been planted comprising a diversity of forest tree species, such as the Keruing Gombang Merah (Dipterocarpus kunstleri), Pianggu (Horsfieldia irya), and Pendarah (Horsfieldia superba), to enhance the forested area. This is in line with efforts to intensify nature in Singapore’s parks as part of our transformation into a City in Nature.

Bukit Gombak Park is a node in the Bukit Batok Nature Corridor, which comprises more than 125 hectares of parks and 10km of nature ways and park connectors that forms an important ecological corridor between the Central Nature Park Network and the Tengah Forest Corridor in western Singapore. The new park offers park goers another option aside from the nearby Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.

Recreational features for park goers of all ages

Bukit Gombak Park has various features that cater to different groups of residents and their recreational needs. For families with young children, the park has a new play area, which encourages children to play amidst nature. A 5.3-metre long slide has been integrated into the natural sloped terrain and there are play equipment inspired by nature, such as balancing beams set amongst trees and shrubs. There is also an outdoor fitness area with exercise equipment, an open lawn for events, and a café – Whisk and Paddle. The park also includes a 480sqm Dog Run, the first in the Bukit Gombak area, featuring a sloped terrain for dogs to run unleashed, and benches for dog owners to rest.

To cater to the growing interest of avid gardeners, Bukit Gombak Park has 120 allotment garden plots, which was increased from the original 70 due to popular demand from the public. These allotment garden plots have been fully subscribed. The Allotment Gardening Scheme is part of Singapore’s vision of growing our City in Nature by encouraging the community to play a key role in the ownership and stewardship for nature. The allotment gardens provide more spaces for gardening in the community and is a means for community participation and bonding.

Engaging the community

In planning for Bukit Gombak Park, NParks worked with Bukit Gombak Grassroots Organisations (GROs) and engaged residents to gather feedback on features they would like to have in the park. Feedback received were varied, and suggestions included having more biodiversity-attracting plants, tranquil areas to enjoy nature, recreational spaces for families and friends, and opportunities for the community to do gardening and be closer to nature. In response to the feedback received, the new park has been built with amenities that meet the diverse recreational needs of the community.

Residents who are interested to volunteer in nature-related activities or meet others with similar interests may form interest groups under Hillview Community Club to organise activities such as tree plantings, park clean-ups, and butterfly breeding programmes and many more.

Ms Low said, “Parks and green spaces play a vital role in uplifting our physical and mental health, especially during this challenging period. This latest addition to Bukit Gombak’s green belt is unique in the way it was co-created by Bukit Gombak residents and NParks as a community-oriented space. Some of the park’s features conceived by the residents include the dog run, community garden and inter-generational play areas. Bukit Gombak residents look forward to the park’s community programmes and connecting together as a Covid-resilient community. The lush 4.8-hectare park will certainly enhance Bukit Gombak’s hallmarks as an oasis and ‘home in nature’.”  Ms Low also expressed her appreciation for the workers and project team who had worked tirelessly to build the park amid the pandemic.

Mr Gan said, “The South West area of Singapore features lush greenery amongst residential areas with its network of parks and green spaces, such as Little Guilin and Bukit Batok Nature Park. With the addition of Bukit Gombak Park, this will be another green space for our residents to enjoy. As Singapore transforms into a City in Nature, these parks will allow the community to appreciate greenery and come together to contribute towards a sustainable environment.”

Community Nursery for OneMillionTrees movement

As part of a new network of community nurseries across Singapore announced by Minister for National Development Desmond Lee on 7 December 2020, NParks plans to have a community nursery at Bukit Gombak Park. These nurseries seek to involve the community in the propagation and nurturing of plants that will be planted in nature reserves, gardens, parks and along streetscapes.

The plants cultivated in the nursery will contribute to NParks’ OneMillionTrees movement to plant a million trees throughout Singapore over the next 10 years. Launched in April 2020, this movement is a concerted effort to increase the number of trees planted in Singapore. This will improve our urban environment and enhance our resilience towards climate change, ultimately transforming Singapore into a City in Nature. Close partnership with the community will be key to the success of this effort.

NParks has been partnering the community through greening efforts such as tree planting, reforestation and habitat enhancement. By involving the community in upstream stages of plant propagation and cultivation, this will lead to more active stewardship of our City in Nature and greater community engagement to fight climate change.

As part of the park opening, ActiveSG will be organising the ‘Dance of the Nation’ – Get Active! Singapore dance workout and a series of low intensity cardiovascular exercises, suitable for most ages and abilities. There will also be more organised outdoor physical activity and sporting programmes in the pipeline. These programmes will be jointly organised by Bukit Gombak GROs and ActiveSG, for residents to experience an active lifestyle and work towards keeping fit and healthy, with the various amenities in the park.

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