Will Woodlands be left with any character at all?
We will soon have to bid goodbye to the Old Woodlands Town Centre come June this year as it makes way for the checkpoint’s plans for extension and a spanking new regional centre. Even the neighbouring blocks, located right smack at the Town Centre, are due for an en bloc sale.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with this area, the place is essentially a gem, considering how developed Singapore has become.
Once hailed as the gem of the north, the Old Woodlands Town Centre boasted a bustling bus interchange, 24-hour eateries, a Shaw Brothers-owned cinema and a huge department store. However, one by one, they have all slowly disappeared over the years: the bus interchange relocated in 1996, while the cinema ceased operations in the mid-2000s.
What is left of it now is just a sleepy, matured neighbourhood, with a few odd shops whose only regular patrons are the nearby residents going about their daily shopping, and Malaysian workers – since it is afterall the first populated centre past the Woodlands Checkpoint.
Feeling nostalgic yet? Here’s what we will definitely miss about the soon-to-be extinct Woodlands Town Centre.
80s Charm And Nostalgia
The town centre has indeed come a long way from its heyday. The vacant Shaw Brothers-owned cinema was one of the earliest cineplexes in Singapore, and it definitely is one place our parents would be familiar with.
When Causeway Point opened in 1999, it precipitated a decline for the old town centre. Today, even the bright pastel paint jobs struggle to hide mould and other signs of aging. Yet, the low-rise brown mosaic buildings lined up with retail shops will be fondly remembered by its residents and customers for a long time to come.
The Early Morning Scene
Due to the centre’s close proximity to the checkpoint, it attracts people entering Malaysia as well as Malaysians entering Singapore for work. At 6 am daily, rows and rows of motorcycles will line the roads and carpark. It’s probably the only time the place will be buzzing with energy.
These workers will soon have to find another spot for a quick bite before work, once June approaches.
The Cheap Yet Good Hawker Food
Not many people may know this, but the Woodlands Food Centre has plenty of affordable and delicious eats that might be long forgotten. Since the place acts as a holding area for people passing through to Malaysia or Singapore, the food centre serves as a pit stop for travellers on both sides of the Causeway who yearn for a good value meal.
Yan Ji Seafood Soup is undoubtedly the most popular shop here, boasting the longest waiting time. The prata by Ahsia food stall is probably one of the few in Singapore whose dough is freshly handmade.
Old School Shops
From street cobblers to an ‘all-in-one’ shop, the Woodlands Town Centre is perhaps one of the few places in Singapore that still boasts these old-school entrepreneurs. It used to be a place alive with middle-aged shopkeepers sustaining their livelihood. Along the way, they bonded and formed their own community. Now, only a few money changers, tailors and cobblers are left at the Town Centre.
While the younger generation flocks to nearby malls for these services, there are plenty of heartlanders who still rely on these cobblers and tailors, and will soon need to find replacements.
The Vacant Shaw Brothers Cinema
While the cinema has long been vacant, for more than a decade in fact, the building’s presence definitely remains strong. In its heyday, the cinema was a popular choice for the residents in the north from the late eighties to early 2000s. It’s a relic of the past, and with it being the first cineplex in Singapore, there’s a high chance that this place could be where our parents dated.
Although operations ceased in the mid-2000s, the building has yet to be demolished – perhaps for nostalgia purposes.
This June, all these small elements that make up the old-school version of Woodlands we once knew will be gone for good. Just like how the iconic rainbow-colored HDBs along Rochor gained a lot of traction before it was demolished, perhaps it will be the same case for the Woodlands Town Centre.
