District 27 · Outside Central Region
Sembawang · Yishun · Canberra
Northern heartland with naval roots... heritage, hot springs and a freshly upgraded town by the strait.
Image: Sembawang Hot Spring Park · TheGreatSG'rean · CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
The History
Plantation roots and a naval past.
Sembawang takes its name from the Sembawang tree, a hardwood once common in the area, which began the 19th century as farmland and rubber plantation. Its modern identity was forged by the British naval base, opened in 1938 and active until 1971, which dominated the northern coast and left landmarks such as the Former Admiralty House, now a National Monument. Tucked in the area is the only natural hot spring on mainland Singapore.
Yishun, to the south, was named after the businessman Lim Nee Soon, whose rubber, gambier and pineapple plantations gave the area its earlier name of Nee Soon. Together the two formed a northern heartland with a distinctive layering of naval history, plantation roots and post-war public housing.
What's Changing
Renewed around community and heritage.
District 27's standout recent project is Bukit Canberra, a large integrated community and sports hub that opened in 2023 on grounds that include the conserved Former Admiralty House, bringing a polyclinic, hawker centre, sports facilities and green spaces together in one place. The Sembawang Hot Spring Park, redeveloped and reopened in 2020, turned the island's only natural hot spring into a public park.
New housing has grown around the Canberra MRT station, opened in 2019 to serve the fast-growing Canberra estate between Sembawang and Yishun. Anchored by Northpoint City in Yishun and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital nearby, the district pairs deep amenities with a strong sense of its own history.
Why Live Here
Four reasons District 27 has character.
Heritage and hot springs
Sembawang's naval landmarks and the island's only natural hot spring give the district a unique character.
Community at Bukit Canberra
A major integrated sports and community hub anchors healthy, connected living.
Complete heartland amenities
Northpoint City, markets, schools and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital serve the wider north.
Growing and connected
Canberra MRT and the North-South Line link the district along the northern corridor.