| Seletar | |
| Settlement Type: | Planning area and regional centre |
| Translit Lang1: | Other |
| Translit Lang1 Type1: | Malay |
| Translit Lang1 Info1: | Malay: Seletar Malay: {{Script|Arab|سلتار |
| Translit Lang1 Type2: | Chinese |
| Translit Lang1 Info2: | Chinese: 实里达 Chinese: 實里達 Shílǐdá Si̍t-lí-ta̍t |
| Translit Lang1 Type3: | Tamil |
| Translit Lang1 Info3: | Tamil: சிலேத்தார் Cilēttār |
| Pushpin Map: | Singapore |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of Seletar within Singapore |
| Coordinates: | 1.4053°N 103.8663°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Singapore |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | North-East Region---- |
| Subdivision Type2: | CDC |
| Subdivision Name2: | |
| Subdivision Type3: | Town councils |
| Subdivision Name3: |
|
| Subdivision Type4: | Constituency |
| Subdivision Name4: | |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Central Singapore CDC
---- |
| Leader Title1: | Members of Parliament |
| Leader Name1: | Jalan Kayu SMC |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 10.25 |
| Area Blank1 Title: | Residential |
| Area Blank1 Km2: | 7.23 |
| Population As Of: | 2025 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 280 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Demonym: | Official
|
| Postal Code Type: | Postal district |
| Postal Code: | 28 |
Seletar is the regional centre of the North-East Region of Singapore. The place name was derived from the Malay subgroup who were indigenous to the area, the Orang Seletar. It shares boundaries with the planning areas of Sengkang to the south, Punggol to the east, Yishun and Simpang to the west, as well as the Straits of Johor to the north.
Formerly a Royal Air Force (RAF) military airbase site, the area now houses the Seletar Aerospace Park. The aerospace park houses industries specialising in aircraft maintenance and repair services.[3] [4] Despite its status as a regional centre, the area remains relatively rural in a local context, with more residential and commercial developments being constructed in the neighbouring planning area of Punggol. There remains future plans to transform Seletar into one of Singapore's regional centres, along with Jurong East, Tampines and Woodlands.
According to the book Down the Seletar River: Discovering a Hidden Treasure of Singapore, Seletar generally refers to a region defined by the Ponggol River to the east, the Seletar River to the west, Ang Mo Kio to the south and the Straits of Johore to the north. It includes the areas covering Yio Chu Kang, Jalan Kayu, Lower Seletar Reservoir and a part of Upper Thomson.[5]
Seletar Planning Area, as defined by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, shares a land boundary with planning areas of Sengkang to the south, riverine boundaries with Punggol to the east and Yishun to the west. Its northern boundary is made up by the Straits of Johor.[6] [7] Seletar Planning Area is officially divided into 4 subzones – Seletar, Seletar Aerospace Park, Pulau Punggol Barat and Pulau Punggol Timor.
The area was home to the indigenous Malay population, especially the Orang Seletar (Malay for Seletar people) - a subgroup of Malay sea gypsies living on the waters of the island. There were already hundreds of them even before the arrival of Raffles. Seletar was originally a rubber plantation estate owned and managed by the Singapore United Rubber Plantations Ltd. In 1923, the Straits Settlement government bought 600acres from the Singapore United Rubber Plantations Ltd and gave it to the British Royal Air Force as a site for its military air base in Singapore.[8] Construction of the airfield was completed in 1929 and it was officially opened in 1930. The airfield was the first RAF base east of India and had also served as a civilian airport until 1937, when Kallang Airport was opened to the public.[9]
The Seletar Reservoir (now known as Upper Seletar Reservoir), was first built in 1920, after the First World War to cope with the water demand in Singapore. It was marked as a conservation site in August 1999.[10]
The area is also dotted with colonial bungalows that were built for the military personnel of the RAF, which still stands today. In 2007, the government announced that some 174 bungalows has been set aside for demolition to make way for the new Seletar Aerospace Park, while the remaining 204 bungalows will be retained and some of these units will be converted into aerospace training schools and food and beverage outlets, while 131 units will be set aside for residential use.[11]
