A while back, I toured the Kovan landed estate and summed it up as an area that was well-connected and bustling, but lacking a cohesive residential feel. (It felt more like a group of houses that just happened to be located near each other, due to the large number of vehicles travelling in and out of the area.)
A reader, Vincent, then left this comment: "Your walk-about is at the wrong or worse side of landed cluster of Kovan. It is quite messy at the North Kovan area. You should go to Charlton Park area…"
So I decided to follow Vincent's advice and go back to "South Kovan" for a second look and, you know what, he was right!
Join me in today's walkabout to see how much nicer this part of Kovan is!
PHOTO: Stackedhomes
The area we are viewing today is around Aroozoo Park: Between Block 231 Hougang (HDB estate), Jalan Pelikat, Jalan Mastuli and Hougang St. 21. I had meant to visit the Charlton Park area, to the left, but found so much to see on this end that I didn't make it over. I guess it will have to wait for another article!
PHOTO: Stackedhomes
We're starting our tour at Aroozoo Park and Aroozoo Avenue Playground, which is a huge open space. You'll also find street parking around the Park, for your friends and family when they come to visit.
As you can see, single-white line and no shortage of parking space in the area. It was pretty easy for me to find a place to park. PHOTO: StackedhomesAs shown, the playground and park are huge. They're so sizeable, that they have their own page on the N-parks website (but with no information on the page, so don't bother clicking through.) PHOTO: StackedhomesAll three parks in the area - Surin Park, Aroozoo Park and Hougang Avenue 1 Park are zoned as parks on the Masterplan so for the near future, residents should still be able to enjoy greenery and open space here. PHOTO: Stackedhomes
Note that there is one yellow zone (reserve site) near Surin Park, so we may see some new developments in the area someday.
The park is surrounded by houses on all sides, mostly terrace units. However, thanks to the large green space separating them, the area feels very spacious, and not as cluttered as terrace developments usually do. PHOTO: StackedhomesI saw several properties that were under construction during my tour and can totally understand why people are moving to this landed enclave. It's definitely one of the nicer areas I've seen on my walkabouts. PHOTO: StackedhomesThe facilities at the Aroozoo green space were relatively modest - some outdoor equipment and nothing fancy, but so much open area is a luxury in itself in land-scarce Singapore. (I write this article staring at the white wall of another block in my condo, which is just a few metres away from the tip of my nose.) PHOTO: StackedhomesThere are also a few semi-Ds in the area. PHOTO: StackedhomesThis road leads out of the landed enclave, onto Surin Avene and Serangoon Road (the main road in this area.) PHOTO: StackedhomesUnfortunately, wildlife seems to be an issue here, although I did not see any otters during my visit. (There is a waterway a few streets away, along Jalan Pelikat.) PHOTO: StackedhomesSome of the terrace houses around Aroozoo. PHOTO: StackedhomesThis photo probably gives you a better idea of how vast the playground is. I am standing at one end, and you can see the red roofs of the houses at the other end through the trees. PHOTO: StackedhomesSo sizeable, it has its own jogging track! PHOTO: StackedhomesIf my memory serves, I'm walking along Jalan Mastuli here, looking towards Hougang Avenue 1. If your guests are unable to find street parking around Aroozoo, they can also park at that HDB estate. I'll show you the car park in a bit. PHOTO: StackedhomesPHOTO: Stackedhomes This is the only part of the estate where I saw the bins out in full force. (To reserve parking space.) PHOTO: StackedhomesMajor rebuild dwarfing its neighbours, as you can see. PHOTO: StackedhomesI like the wooden detail on the roof terrace here! PHOTO: StackedhomesStill walking around the perimeter of Aroozoo Park. PHOTO: StackedhomesI take a turn here to explore Jalan Pelikat. PHOTO: StackedhomesThat's the waterway I mentioned earlier, with the HDB estate behind it. PHOTO: StackedhomesLooking to the left. PHOTO: StackedhomesThere are bridges that help you cross the waterway to get to the HDB (where you can find a few eateries, a vet, an ice cream cafe and more.) It struck me as a great evening walk in search of food. (The area is very quiet, I visited twice and didn't see much through traffic on either occasion.) PHOTO: StackedhomesIf you squint, you can see the coffeeshop at the white block. PHOTO: StackedhomesIt's a rather lovely Park Connector. The area was so nice, that I started Googling to see if any of the HDB units were on sale. PHOTO: StackedhomesThere are some terrace houses facing the HDB units, but the setback between the two is extremely wide. PHOTO: StackedhomesWalk along Jalan Pelikat and you reach this residential-commercial development, The Pelikat. PHOTO: StackedhomesThere are supposed to be a few commercial units inside. However, having visited on two separate occasions, I think you'll have more luck heading towards the HDB estate. (The Pelikat is really quiet.) PHOTO: StackedhomesNo one inside, on a weekday evening. (After-work hours.) PHOTO: StackedhomesView of the HDB from The Pelikat. There were quite a few ground-floor units with access to land for gardening here. I was very envious since my own gardening is restricted to ClickandGrow (because my flat is too dark to support life.) PHOTO: StackedhomesUpside of a quiet mall - another place for your visitors to park! PHOTO: StackedhomesAt the end of the room is another beautiful open space. Honestly, I couldn't believe that I was just across the road from the previous landed estate at Kovan that I had visited! It felt like an entirely different world. Note that this open space is zoned as a park too! PHOTO: StackedhomesTurning around and looking back at the direction which we came from. PHOTO: StackedhomesLooking back at the houses facing the HDB along Jalan Pelikat. PHOTO: StackedhomesWandering off to explore another part of the estate. PHOTO: StackedhomesAdmiring some of the properties along the way. PHOTO: StackedhomesLonger driveways mean you can park more cars. PHOTO: StackedhomesSome vintage properties along the way. PHOTO: StackedhomesA photo that illustrates how much upward room you have for your house to grow. PHOTO: StackedhomesThis person REALLY likes gardening. PHOTO: StackedhomesVery impressive bougainvillea. PHOTO: StackedhomesThis part of the estate seems to be where all the keen gardeners gather! PHOTO: StackedhomesWe are now at the other end of Hougang Avenue 1 Park, and HDB Block 237 Hougang. PHOTO: StackedhomesPHOTO: StackedhomesAm I the only one who finds this house super long? (The one on the left.) PHOTO: StackedhomesMore terrace houses along Jalan Lepas. PHOTO: StackedhomesHouses and HDB blocks facing each other. PHOTO: StackedhomesThis is the other car park where your guests can park, if the parking at Jalan Pelikat is too expensive. PHOTO: StackedhomesThere's a staircase down to the car park (the houses are slightly elevated above the HDB here.) PHOTO: StackedhomesBut I don't think your guests will have issues finding street parking, really. PHOTO: StackedhomesMore terraces. PHOTO: StackedhomesVery patriotic area. PHOTO: StackedhomesOld-school unit on the left. Dates back to the 70s or 80s I think? PHOTO: StackedhomesPHOTO: StackedhomesPart of the area is sloping upward, as you can see. PHOTO: StackedhomesAt the junction of Jalan Songket and Jalan Samarinda is Maplebear Childcare, shown above. PHOTO: StackedhomesSome larger/wider properties along this stretch. PHOTO: StackedhomesAt the end of Jalan Samarinda, we come to Surin Avenue, where we find Kovan Sports Centre and Paya Lebar Kovan Community Club. PHOTO: StackedhomesAs shown, the houses are slightly elevated above the community facilities. PHOTO: StackedhomesSurin Avenue. PHOTO: StackedhomesSome interesting-looking houses. PHOTO: StackedhomesDoesn't it look like a lovely place for a run? PHOTO: StackedhomesLarge potential for house expansion here. PHOTO: StackedhomesOn the right is another HDB estate. Let's walk down and have a look. PHOTO: StackedhomesLooking back up at the houses. PHOTO: StackedhomesA sports complex next door. I could hear kids playing inside, but it wasn't too noisy. (I couldn't hear them from within the landed estate, only when I was standing next to the field.) PHOTO: StackedhomesAnd across the road are all your amenities! Kovan 209 Market and Food Centre, MacDonalds, DBS, NTUC etc. PHOTO: Stackedhomes
I must say this housing estate is nice and private but within easy walking distance of all the conveniences!
The walkover is also partially shaded, which is nice. There's also a bus stop with 112, 112A, 113 and 113A here. PHOTO: Stackedhomes
Now that we've seen the amenities, let's walk back in and have a quick look at the third park in the area: Surin Park!
Walking back in. PHOTO: StackedhomesSurin Park. As you can see, it may be even bigger than the one at Aroozoo! PHOTO: StackedhomesThere were quite a few people in the park, but it wasn't noisy. Next to the park is an HDB block, which appears to have Executive Maisonettes in it. (I may be wrong.) I found the area so liveable, that I decided to google the HDB (alas couldn't find any EM units for sale.) PHOTO: StackedhomesPHOTO: StackedhomesPHOTO: StackedhomesSurin Park is a little fancier than the other two, with some ball courts. According to the National Parks website, there is usually basketball equipment, but they've been removed for repairs. PHOTO: StackedhomesAt the end of the HDB block are more houses. As shown, there's quite a nice setback in between the two. PHOTO: StackedhomesLet's take a walk to the other end of Surin Park. PHOTO: StackedhomesThere, you can find DPS International School. I'm not familiar with it, but it has a 4.4 rating on Google, out of 440 reviews. (People interested in houses in the area may want to visit before school begins and after school ends, to see what the traffic situation is like.) PHOTO: Stackedhomes
This brings us back to where we started our tour: at Aroozoo Park! How did you find the tour? I must say, I agree with Vincent. This part of Kovan is SO much nicer than the north side, so thanks for the heads-up!
