A new 2.2km section of Pasir Panjang Park opened on Sep. 16, stretching from Pasir Panjang Food Centre to West Coast Park.

Users can now enjoy greater connectivity from Labrador Nature Park to West Coast Park, through Pasir Panjang Park, as well as all the way to Jurong Lake Gardens and Jurong Central Park.

Together with the new section, the entire route now spans a total of 17km.

Minister for National Development Desmond Lee and Member of Parliament for West Coast GRC Rachel Ong were there to mark the opening of the park.

The park was designed with the help of the community. In a speech during the opening, Lee shared:

"When we designed the first section of the park, around 170 members of the community came forward with many interesting and meaningful suggestions on what they hoped to see here at Pasir Panjang Park. These have been incorporated into the designs of the park, such as the elements to reflect the park’s coastal origins."

Pasir Panjang used to be a sandy beach that stretched from present day Labrador Nature Reserve to the junction of Clementi and West Coast roads, and as such, its name means "long sand" in Malay.

To reflect this history, the new section includes a coastal habitat with sandy beach forest vegetation. Species of conservation significance such as the critically-endangered Sepetir have been planted there.

Shipping containers

As Pasir Panjang is one of Singapore's major port terminals, the new 2.2km section features three shipping containers donated by PSA Singapore.

The containers have been repurposed as shelters, which exhibit maritime artefacts from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore such as a ship telegraph and anchor.

Visitors can marvel at an old cannon that was previously displayed in the old Pasir Panjang Park, and is now part of Singapore’s National Collection under the care of the National Heritage Board.

They can also learn more about Singapore’s maritime heritage through heritage boards and old stories and photos of the area contributed by the public.

One of these photos includes that of a member of the community, Christina Chow. Lee shared that the photo shows Chow as a child, posing atop the very same cannon that is featured as part of the maritime heritage display.

To contribute to the park's energy efficiency, the shelters incorporate green features such as solar panels and green roofs.

They have also been decorated with murals by Argentinian street artist Martin Ron.

The development of Pasir Panjang Park is supported by PSA, which contributed S$3.5 million through the Garden City Fund, NParks’ registered charity and Institution of a Public Character.

Top photo from NParks