Secondary Settlements

The Balestier Conservation Area is located along Balestier Road, between Thomson Road and Moulmein Road. The street blocks comprise a mix of two-storey pre-war shophouses as well as more recent three- to six-storey shop / flat developments.

The buildings reflect the evolution of physical development since the 1840s and serve as reminders of the history of the area. The shophouses range from the Early Shophouse Style to the ornate Late Shophouse and the more streamlined Modern Style built after World War Two.

Of particular visual interest are the ornate Late Style shophouses at the junctions of Kim Keat Road and Jalan Kemanan.

Other key landmarks are the old Balestier Market from the 1920s and the Gochor Tua Pek Kong Temple and Wayang Stage with history which can be traced back to the 1840s.

The Beach Road Conservation Area is located just north of the Downtown Core. It consists of buildings along Purvis Street, Liang Seah Street and Tan Quee Lan Street which are the roads linking the major thoroughfares of North Bridge Road and South Bridge Road.

The Beach Road Area was designated the European Town during the time of Raffles. It was located between the Commercial Quarter and Kampong Glam, and was the original seafront before reclamation. Its sea-frontage (which has since been reclaimed) made it the main European residential area as well as that of the wealthy Asians. The area is mainly dominated by two- and three storey shophouses built in blocks of identical architectural features and ornamentations, with each block being different from the other.

The Geylang Conservation Area is located 5km to the east of the city and stretches along Geylang Road and selected lorongs.

Historically, the area was probably a processing centre for local agricultural produce and fishing. Its history dates as far back as the 1840s when the British Government resettled the Malay floating village at the mouth of the Singapore River to this area. Today, the wide range of shophouses along Geylang Road; the combination of the low-rise bungalows and rows of shophouses along the lorongs provide a gentle contrast, giving this area a rich architectural heritage.

The Jalan Besar Conservation Area is located just outside the boundaries of the Little India Historic District and stretches along Jalan Besar and Foch Road, the upper portions of Tessensohn Road, Race Course Road and Tyrwhitt Road, along Cavan Road and Hamilton Road, parts of Serangoon Road, Lavender Street, Kitchener Road, Sam Leong Road, Maude Road. It also includes the ornate row of terrace houses along Petain Road.

The area was originally an estate of over six acres extending from Serangoon Road to Jalan Besar, where historically, sireh and nipah were extensively cultivated. The area is significant for its historic streetscapes created by buildings with a variety of vernacular architecture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a period in Singapore’s history when the elaborately decorated shophouses flourished.

The Jalan Jurong Kechil Conservation Area is situated at the junction of Upper Bukit Timah Road and Jalan Jurong Kechil. It consists of ten two-storey Transitional style shophouses and three Art Deco Style single-storey terraces which contribute to the streetscape experience of the Anak Bukit area.

Their pre-war architecture make the remaining row of shophouses stand out as an important landmark located at the entrances to the Anak Bukit area.

The Joo Chiat Conservation Area stretches along the entire main Joo Chiat Road, the upper portion of Onan Road, parts of Joo Chiat Terrace, Joo Chiat Place, Everitt Road, Koon Seng Road and Tembeling Road. It also includes the stretch of East Coast Road from Marshall Road to Telok Kurau Road.

The area was originally part of a coconut plantation which stretched inland from the coast to what is Geylang Serai today. The area is not only rich in architecture and history but is also a thriving commercial and residential node today. Joo Chiat, with rich historical links to the Peranakan culture, is a renowned food paradise. A wide variety of shophouses and bungalow styles which reflect the prevailing architecture at the turn of the century can be found within this area.

The Mount Sophia Conservation Area, located between the historically important areas of Fort Canning / Bras Basah, the Little India and Jalan Besar Conservation Areas, is an important part of the old inner city of Singapore since the turn of the 19th century.

The different shophouse styles which chart the evolution of developments along Selegie Road gave this important trunk road its signature streetscape. The largely intact terrace houses along Niven Road present a charming intimate streetscape while the shophouses along Mackenzie Road remain vibrant after many years. Marking the entrance to Mount Sophia are the Church of Christ of Malaya and Sophia Flats, both established landmarks of the area.

The River Valley Conservation Area is adjacent to the Robertson Quay area to the south of River Valley Road. It consists of buildings lining Mohamed Sultan Road from its junction with River Valley Road up to its junction with Kim Yam Road. The area also includes stretches of Tong Watt Road and Kim Yam Road near Mohamed Sultan Road and a group of buildings located at the junction of Kim Yam Road and River Valley Road.

The shophouses within this area played an important role in the early trading activities of Singapore which was centred on the Singapore River. These shophouses catered to the owners and workers of the godowns and warehouses along the river. The shophouses are mainly of the Late Shophouse and Transitional Shophouse Styles.

The Tanjong Katong Conservation Area is located along Tanjong Katong Road, between Dunman Road and Mountbatten Road.

The ornate Late Style and the more geometric Art Deco Style shophouses together with the more streamlined Modern Style shophouses built after the World War Two provide the critical mass that gives this historic road its sense of place and help anchor the social memory for both residents and visitors. Other landmarks along the road are the former Tanjong Katong Girls School, built in 1954 by the then Public Works Department. The Tanjong Katong Post Office and the Telecom Exchange Building are also prominent markers.

The Tiong Bahru Conservation Area is bounded by Outram Road, Seng Poh Road, Yong Siak Street and the Central Expressway.

Tiong Bahru estate, the first public housing in Singapore, is well known and valued by Singaporeans. The flats built by the then Singapore Improvement Trust mark an important period of public housing in Singapore before the formation of Housing Development Board. The estate is an illustration of the distinctive planning and architectural ideas prevalent in British public housing of the same period.

The two rows of shophouses within the area and the single-storey building located within the streetblock along Outram Road are closely associated to Tiong Bahru estate, being very much a part of its physical fabric. Fronting Tiong Bahru and Outram Road, they are highly visible to those who pass through the area.

The Upper Circular Conservation Area is bounded by Upper Circular Road, South Bridge Road, North Canal Road and New Bridge Road. It contains mainly three- to five-storey buildings built mainly in the 1930s to the late 1960s and are of different Modern architectural styles. They serve as important markers of what "Modern" meant to each generation and how architectural taste has evolved with the passage of time.