Kenneth Lim Channel NewsAsia 10 Oct 15;
SINGAPORE: There are no hotdog stands or amusement rides at the new Coney Island Park, but there is no reason why it cannot be as popular as its New York namesake. Barely hours after it opened, there were already droves of cyclists and nature lovers at the 50-hectare park.
Located off Singapore's North East coast, Coney Island or Pulau Serangoon, is home to a wide variety of habitats, including coastal forests, grasslands and mangroves. There are also rare flora and fauna, like the nationally endangered spotted wood owl and the black-crowned night heron.
"A lot of us, when we are stuck on mainland Singapore everything's fast paced,” said 21-year-old Sumita Thiagarajan, a volunteer guide for the park. “When we come out to islands like these we can enjoy the rustic nature, and slow down a little, then you get to see all the wildlife and you're like 'oh Singapore has wildlife'.”
The National Parks Board (NParks) said the park is built on the principles of sustainability and the aim is to enhance and protect the wide variety of habitats in the area. The timbre of fallen Casurina trees is used to make benches, signs and boardwalks. Rainwater is collected for flushing toilets and diffused sunlight powers indoor lights. There are also nest boxes for migratory birds.
However, beyond the biodiversity, there are other reasons why Coney Island Park could prove more popular than places like Pulau Ubin.
"It's much easier for the public to access because it's actually connected to the mainland,” said NParks' senior director for parks, Ms Kartini Omar. “It is also very well connected with the park connector network, the North Eastern Riverine Loop from Punggol Point, so it's just 500m away."
Visitors enter Coney Island Park using two entrances – by taking a bus to Punggol Point Park and walking 500 metres to the West entrance, or driving down the the Tampines Expressway to Pasir Ris Industrial Drive 6 for the East entrance.
The park is part of the Government's overall plan for Coney Island, which includes areas for sports, recreation and possibly even housing. An interim park is also planned for the western end of the island. However, despite these plans for urban development, Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure Khaw Boon Wan, who officially opened the park, said he hopes the park will be a symbol of sustainability.
"We will of course keep the island rustic and keep to its natural state as much as possible,” said Mr Khaw. "This is so that Singaporeans, especially young Singaporeans, can get to enjoy and get close to nature."
Coney Island Park is open to the public from 7am to 7pm daily. Volunteers will also give guided walks, starting in November.
- CNA/hs
Coney Island Park opens to public
Today Online 11 Oct 15;
SINGAPORE — Nature-lovers can now visit the new Coney Island Park, where they can try spotting the some of the 80 species of birds that can be seen on the island. Or, if they are lucky, they may catch a glimpse of the globally threatened smooth-coated otter, which as been seen at the park and in the surrounding waters.
Home to a wide array of flora and fauna, the 50-ha park, also known as Pulau Serangoon, opened to the public today (Oct 10). It is located at the north-eastern coast of Singapore.
Several nationally threatened species such as birds like the rusty-breasted cuckoo and spotted wood-owl, as well as dragonflies like the sultan and lined forest-skimmer, can be sighted at the park, said the National Parks Board (NParks) in a press release.
Nest boxes for birds like bee-eaters, woodpeckers are being installed around the island to increase the availability of suitable nesting sites.
There is also a wide variety of habitats, including coastal forests, grasslands, mangroves, and Casuarina woodlands.
Visitors can access the beach at five areas that showcase plants of different themes, such as black mangrove tress, beach front shrubs and coastal climbers as well as rare/extinct coastal trees.
NParks said the park was “built on the principles of environment sustainability”. Toilets, for instance, are zero-energy and self-sufficient. Solar power is used to generate electricity to power the pumps for the toilets, while water used for flushing and hand washing is harvested from rainwater. Diffused sunlight is used to provide light indoors.
Casuarina timber from uprooted trees were also collected and recycled into park signages, seats, benches, boardwalk, as well as exhibits, said NParks.
The park was launched this morning by Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan. He joined more than 150 participants from various corporate and community groups to plant more than 100 trees.
Singtel contributed S$150,000 towards the tree planting as well as the accompanying educational panels.
NParks volunteer Han Jok Kwang, raised and donated S$150,000 to the Garden City Fund in conjunction with his 30th wedding anniversary celebrations. The amount will fund the planting of the coastal trees, as well as educational signs at the park, said NParks.a
Guided walks will be made available to members of the public in November/December 2015. Registration for the guided walks open tomorrow (Oct 11) at 10am.
The development of Coney Island Park is part of the Government’s overall plan for Coney Island. The south-eastern part of Coney Island is zoned for sports and recreational use in the Urban Redevelopment Authority master plan. An interim park is planned for the western end of the island.
Map of Coney Island. Coney Island consists of Coney Island Park, a future interim park and an area zoned for sports and recreation. Source: NParks
PARK DETAILS:
Coney Island Park is open from 7am to 7pm daily.
Due to safety concerns, the park is open only during the day as there is no lighting in the park after dark.
Park Entrances: 1) 500m east of Punggol Point Park (West entrance) 2) Pasir Ris Industrial Drive 6 (East entrance)
Coney Island Park now open to the public
AsiaOne 10 Oct 15;
National Parks (NParks) announced on Saturday that the new Coney Island Park is now open to the public.
The opening of the 50 ha park, located off the north eastern coast of Singapore, was officiated by Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure Khaw Boon Wan on Saturday morning.
He also joined over 150 participants from various corporate and community groups to plant over 100 trees.
NParks said that Coney Island Park is built on the principles of environmental sustainability, and the park seeks to enhance as well as protect the wide variety of habitats found in the area.
At the park, visitors may come up close with a wide variety of biodiversity, including several nationally threatened species such as birds like the Rusty-breasted Cuckoo and Spotted Wood-Owl, as well as dragonflies like the Sultan and Lined Forest-Skimmer.
They may also access the beach at five areas that showcase plants of different themes.
In addition, Coney Island Park has adopted several environmental initiatives to maintain its rustic character.
For example, the park's toilets run on electricity generated from solar power, while the toilet's water supply is harvested from rainwater, and indoor areas are lit by diffused sunlight.
Meanwhile, the park's signages, benches, boardwalk, as well as exhibits are made from timber collected from uprooted trees.
NParks said that the southeastern part of Coney Island is zoned for sports and recreational use under the Urban Redevelopment Authority Masterplan, and added that an interim park is planned for the western end of the island.
Coney Island Park opens to the public
Audrey Tan THE STRAITS TIMES AsiaOne 11 Oct 15;
A slice of rustic island nature, complete with a free-roaming bull, is now open to the public, and there is no need for a boat to get there.
Coney Island Park is located on the 50ha offshore Coney Island, which is connected to the mainland by two bridges on its western and eastern ends to Punggol Promenade and Pasir Ris Coast Industrial Park 6. The park was officially opened by Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan.
Costing about $3 million, the park took 15 months to build. It features a beach that stretches 2km and a 2.4 km-long path that is part of the park connector network, which cyclists can use to travel between Pasir Ris and Punggol.
Keen-eyed visitors may also encounter many different types of plants and animals there - the park is home to 86 tree species and at least 157 animal species, including nationally threatened species such as the spotted wood owl and the rusty-breasted cuckoo.
Luckier visitors may even come across the single Brahman bull that roams freely across the island.
It is not clear how the bull got on the island, but the timid and gentle animal was found in poor condition during redevelopment, although it has since been nursed back to health, Mr Khaw told the crowd to applause at yesterday's event.
To give that authentic feel, there is no electricity or piped water on the island. Instead, electricity to power the pumps for toilets is generated from solar power, while water for flushing and hand washing is harvested from rain.
Most of the signboards, benches and boardwalks are made using timber from uprooted casuarina trees, which grow well on coastal habitats like those on Coney Island.
The National Parks Board (NParks), which manages the park, has also tried to preserve the island's original lush vegetation by intentionally leaving the beaches uncleared and allowing greenery to grow in its natural environment.
"The main distinguishing feature is the rustic charm of the park. We want to keep it as basic as possible," said Ms Kartini Omar, senior director of parks from NParks. Compared to Pulau Ubin, which has a similar rustic vibe, Coney Island Park is much easier to access as it is connected to the mainland, she added.
The history of the island, also known as Pulau Serangoon, dates back to the 1930s, when it was bought over by the Haw Par brothers - Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par, who built a beach villa there.
The villa fell into disrepair after World War II and the island remained uninhabited until 1950, when Indian businessman Ghulam Mahmood bought the island with the intention to turn it into a resort.
He named it after the Coney Island amusement park in New York, but his plans never materialised after he was fined for corruption.
Long-time Punggol resident Low Joo Kek, 60, said that as a child, he would swim 30m from the mainland to Coney Island during the low tide to pick shellfish on the beach.
Welcoming the throwback nature of the island, he said: "I'm glad plans to turn the island into an amusement park didn't materialise. There is not much difference between the island then and now."
CONEY ISLAND PARK OFFERS AN ESCAPE TO NATURE
WITH NO PIPED WATER OR ELECTRICITY, CONEY ISLAND OFFERS AN ESCAPE TO NATURE
The New Paper 12 Oct 15;
Mention "Coney Island" and the US is more likely to come to mind than Singapore.
Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York, is famous for its amusement parks and boardwalk. Our own little island that shares the name is not so well known, not even among Singaporeans.
And it could not be more different.
Coney Island Park, which opened to the public on Saturday, is all about nature.
The island, also known as Pulau Serangoon, hugs the north-east coast of Singapore, facing Pulau Ubin, and is roughly the size of 70 football fields.
There is no electricity or piped water on the island. The pumps for toilets use solar power, while water for washing and flushing is harvested from rain.
Most of the signboards, benches and boardwalks are made using timber from uprooted casuarina trees.
In the 1930s, the island was bought over by the Haw Par brothers - Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par - who built a beach villa there.
It fell into disrepair after World War II and the island remained uninhabited until 1950, when Indian businessman Ghulam Mahmood bought the place with the intention to turn it into a resort, but his plans never materialised and he was fined for corruption.
The National Parks Board now manages the island, which is home to 86 tree species and at least 157 animal species.