The A to Z of Seletar Aerospace Park

Aviation Correspondent Karamjit Kaur and Royston Sim visited the former British military base recently to file this A-Z report.

WHEN Seletar Camp’s $60 million makeover plan was unveiled five years ago, the site consisted mostly of pre-war aircraft hangars and colonial houses. Today, visitors to the former British military air base are greeted by a very different sight.

The camp in north-east Singapore, which is currently home to about 30 aviation firms, is being developed into a cutting-edge aerospace park, where planes will be repaired and maintained to help the growing sector expand even further.

And Seletar Airport, which is housed on the site, is being upgraded. The runway has just been extended by about 250m to 1,840m to allow it to handle bigger, heavier aircraft. Drivers on the Tampines Expressway can also catch a glimpse of a sprawling 154,000 sq m complex built by British engine giant Rolls-Royce.

The new Seletar Aerospace Park is due to be finished by 2018, and is being developed by government agency JTC Corp.

It will add to the existing aerospace centres at Changi North and Loyang.

The sector is a critical one for Singapore, accounting for more than 18,000 jobs and about 1 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product. The park is expected to create 10,000 new jobs and contribute $3.3 billion to the economy.

Here is an A to Z guide to how the project is taking shape.

A AVIATION It is not just about passenger jets at Changi Airport. Away from the public eye, Singapore’s aviation sector includes a thriving aerospace business. From global bigwigs such as engine-maker Rolls-Royce and Pratt & Whitney to local players ST Aerospace and SIA Engineering, there are more than 100 companies based in Singapore that carry out aircraft repair and maintenance work, as well as research and manufacturing.

B BLACK-AND-WHITE COLONIAL HOUSES Before the bulldozers came, Seletar was home to 378 such sprawling units, some built in the 1930s. Former Seletar Camp residents included sculptor Han Sai Por. But 174 had to go to make way for new infrastructure. Of the units retained, 131 are as homes and the rest will be converted into outlets including restaurants.

C CONDO A five-minute drive away from the aerospace park is the Greenwich, a 319-unit low-rise condominium due to open in 2014, and which will no doubt be home to some of the people working in the park. Developer Far East Organization said 85 per cent of the units have been snapped up.

D DINING Fancy eating spicy buffalo wings next to a runway? There is only one place where you can do it in Singapore – Seletar’s Sunset Grill and Pub. But hurry because after eight years there, the joint will close by December.

E EUROCOPTER The 19-year-old European firm, a leading global helicopter maker, opened a new workshop at Seletar in January. It was the first all-new site at the new park. There, it can carry out maintenance and repair work on 24 helicopters at a time, up from 12 at its previous premises in Loyang Way.

F FOOD Plans are in the pipeline for new eateries at the park. There are already several canteens including one called 398 right outside the Seletar army camp entrance. A throwback to the 1960s, it has fittings from that era. Mr Toh Ee Cheng, 61, has been selling drinks there for more than 40 years. He said it is likely to close in the next year or two.

G GOLF Seletar was home to two golf courses, both operated by Seletar Country Club. The members-only club has stayed put but the nine-hole public course closed in 2007, to make way for new roads and other developments. About 3,000 golfers signed a petition asking the authorities to reconsider the closure, but it failed.

H HISTORY The area is rich in history. It was commissioned as a British Royal Air Force station in 1930 and served as Singapore’s first civilian airport until it became a purely military airfield in 1937. The British transferred Seletar to the Singapore Government in 1971 after withdrawing their forces. After the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore took over in 1972, Seletar became an airport for smaller commercial aircraft.

I INFRASTRUCTURE New roads and flyovers are being built to improve infrastructure around Seletar to cater for an expected rise in traffic. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will build four new flyovers to link Seletar West Link with the Central Expressway, Seletar Expressway (SLE) and Tampines Expressway (TPE). The Yio Chu Kang and Seletar flyovers and part of the SLE will be widened. Works are expected to start in the first quarter of next year and slated for completion by the fourth quarter of 2015. The LTA is also building a new road interchange to connect the TPE, Sengkang West Road and Seletar Aerospace Way. Roads within the aerospace park will be built by JTC Corp.

J JETS Business aviation, driven by private jets, is growing in Singapore by about 17 per cent a year based on the number of take-offs and landings. With Changi Airport the hub for big commercial planes, the plan is to develop Seletar for smaller jets. Among the aircraft operators and maintenance companies already based there are Jet Aviation, Hawker Pacific and Fokker Services.

K KNOW-HOW Training is a key component of the new Seletar hub. The Rolls-Royce campus will provide training not only for Singapore-based customers and technicians but those from the region as well. Seletar is also home to the Singapore Flying College and the Singapore Youth Flying Club.

L LAND How big is the park? Including the airport, the area covers 300ha, about a third the size of Toa Payoh housing estate.

M MILITARY Seletar Camp is home to several Singapore Armed Forces combat engineer units. They will stay, said the Ministry of Defence.

N NATURE Work is being carried out to conserve about 30 trees in the area. Seven are “heritage” trees and are protected by law. They are of historical or cultural value and cannot be chopped down or disturbed by excavation work near their roots. The others are classified as “mature” trees.

O OPPOSE When plans for the park were unveiled, there was opposition from residents who had to leave when their leases expired because their homes were to be demolished. Those who stayed grumbled about rent increases. After paying under $3,000 a month for a house with a garden for years, they had to fork out as much as 30 per cent more. Some existing businesses were upset at the prospect of higher operating costs at the new facilities. Private plane operator Executive Jets Asia packed up and left for Johor’s Senai Airport.

P PARTNERSHIP JTC Corp is the lead government agency in charge of the Seletar project but there are other partners involved. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and Changi Airport Group are working on improving facilities at the airport, the LTA is looking after the roads and other transport aspects, while preserving the charm and heritage of the place is under the National Parks Board.

Q QUIET Before the bulldozers came, Seletar Camp was a quiet green haven of narrow winding roads. Now it is mostly noise and tumult as cement trucks rattle into the compound every day.

R ROLLS-ROYCE The British giant, which designed its first aero engine close to 100 years ago, is pumping in more than $700 million to set up massive operations at Seletar. The Rolls-Royce campus houses a regional training facility and an engine assembly and test facility. There is also a manufacturing unit, its first outside Britain, to make fan blades for the firm’s Trent engines. The Seletar campus will create 900 new jobs.

S SELETAR AIRPORT Singapore’s first civilian airport is being upgraded to keep pace with the development of the aerospace park. The runway has been made longer, and a new control tower and fire station are being built. But no plans have yet been announced to upgrade the terminal building.

T TRANSPORT Unless you drive, getting in and out of Seletar Camp is tough. There is just a single bus service, SBS service 103, that serves part of the area. JTC is looking to bring in a private shuttle bus service provider.

U UPGRADING ST Aerospace, Jet Aviation, Hawker Pacific and Fokker Services are among the pre-masterplan tenants who have decided to sink deeper roots into Seletar with new upgraded facilities. Australian firm Hawker Pacific is building a $15 million, 9,400 sq m workshop to maintain, repair and overhaul its aircraft which will be more than three times the size of its existing facility.

V VINTAGE About 30 vintage lamp posts will be preserved. They are being taken down as the bulldozers roll in and stored for re-installation later.

W WALKWAYS Covered walkways linking the different buildings to bus stops and other facilities will shelter visitors. JTC plans to spend $2.7 million on a 1.7km stretch of walkway.

X X-FACTOR It costs more to operate in Singapore than in other Asian countries such as China, India and Malaysia. Yet Singapore is the undisputed regional aerospace leader, offering the most comprehensive range of aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul services. Singapore’s X-factor is its political stability, a highly skilled workforce, strong intellectual property laws and good infrastructure, experts said.

Y YIELD By 2018, Seletar Aerospace Park is expected to create 10,000 new jobs and contribute $3.3 billion a year to the economy.

Z ZZZZZZ A once sleepy neighbourhood has been transformed and noise levels have increased, said residents. Housewife Dawn Tay, 34, moved to her current home in Oxford Street after her previous one in Swallow Street was bulldozed for development. She said: “The place has totally changed. It’s not as peaceful as it was.”

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The A to Z of Seletar Aerospace Park

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