Kovan, Singapore


Kovan is a neighbourhood located within the town of Hougang, in the North-East Region of Singapore. The neighbourhood today largely consists of private housing properties, where majority of the residents live in terrace homes, semi-detached houses and bungalows.

Geography

As part of Hougang, Kovan is situated east of Serangoon, in the North-East Region of Singapore. As a relatively small suburb, Kovan's boundaries are relatively unclear. The Urban Redevelopment Authority defines its boundaries as Hougang Avenue 2 to the north, Yio Chu Kang Road to the west, southwest and south and Upper Serangoon Road to the east. However in reality, numerous Kovan amenities are at the other side of Upper Serangoon Road outside the above boundary. These include: Kovan Heartland Mall, Kovan City, Kovan Hub, Kovan Market and Food Centre, Kovan Sports Centre, Paya Lebar Kovan Community Club.

Etymology

Kovan was traditionally an area associated with the Teochew community. Kovan's Teochew name is "La gou jio", which means six miles from the Fullerton Hotel. A number of road names at Kovan commemorate the more prominent members of this community.

Road name origins

In 2019, there are 24,850 people living in Kovan. 12,020 male and 12,830 female.
3,970 people live in HDB flats, 8,730 live in condominium/other apartments, 11,840 live in landed properties and 310 live in other accommodation.

Transportation

The main road connecting Kovan to the other parts of Singapore is Upper Serangoon Road. Both Kovan MRT station and Heartland Mall are situated along this major road. Nearby is the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway, which provides a direct route to the city area.
Public transport in Kovan is evident. It is served by Kovan MRT station, which is just opposite to Heartland Mall. Kovan formerly had a bus terminal, which is now renamed Kovan Hub. However, many buses still pass through Kovan, as they ply through the main Upper Serangoon Road. The bus stop connected to Kovan MRT station is a major one, and a relatively high number of buses pass through it that passes through towards Hougang or Serangoon.

Former Bus Interchange

Hougang South Bus Interchange was closed since 15 February 2004 when the authorities acquired it for other developments. It was situated at Hougang Street 21 next to the Kovan food centre/Wet Market, near Heartland Mall. All bus services were relocated to Hougang Central Bus Interchange, except 62 :
The main type of housing in Kovan are landed homes. The condominiums Kovan Melody, and Kovan Residences are on the main road, directly opposite Kovan station. Also recently completed beside Kovan Residences is Kovan Regency. Yet another condominium, which is currently under construction is Stars of Kovan, which will be at the corner of Upper Serangoon Rd and Tampines Rd.

Amenities

The main amenity in Kovan is Heartland Mall. Heartland Mall is well-served by a number of well-known outlets and shops, such as Popular Book Shop, Toast Box, KFC, Sakae Sushi etc. Kovan Sports Centre is just across the road from Heartland Mall, which have eight sheltered indoor futsal courts. A bowling alley,, is also near Heartland Mall.
There is also a neighbourhood park south of Heartland Mall which is opposite Yuying Secondary School. There are also two community clubs in Kovan, the Aljunied Community Club and the Paya Lebar Kovan Community Club which is opposite Kovan Hub. A number of pubs and cafes like Grapevine Cafe Bar and Restaurant, O Bar, Greenland Vegetarian Restaurant are found in the area.

Places of worship

Buddhist Temple

There is only one primary and secondary school in Kovan. These two schools are part of the 19 educational institutions in Hougang.
There used to be several more schools located deep inside the housing estate and the surrounding area. These include Rosyth School, Serangoon Secondary School, Monfort Secondary School, XinMing Secondary School. These schools have moved to other areas such as Serangoon North and Hougang. The last school to stop operations, Parry Primary School, closed down in late 2006.

Politics

Kovan is part of Aljunied GRC, and is located within the constituency's Paya Lebar division. Residents within the neighbourhood are represented by Chen Show Mao.

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