![](\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/EO10601.png?fit=527%2C363\")
\nThe Casa Clementi precinct made the news in June when a five-room flat there was sold for $960,000. Source: BCA
\nTo some, Clementi is an older town offering little beyond public housing and kopitiams. Yet it is seeing continual growth and change, promising new and exciting things for its residents.
\nby Cheryl Marie Tay
\nA mature estate in the easternmost fringe of the western region of Singapore, Clementi is a residential town and planning area that is close to other estates such as Jurong East, Queenstown, West Coast, Bukit Batok and Bukit Timah.
\nClementi has been inhabited since colonial rule in Singapore, and colonial influences could be seen in the names of some of its roads and neighbourhoods. One of these was Sussex Estate, which used to be located at Clementi Avenue 1.
\nEstablished in the mid-1950s to provide accommodation for British senior non-commissioned officers and their families, Sussex Estate was the sole colonial feature of Clementi to survive the latter\u2019s major redevelopment in 1975. It continued to be a part of the estate for slightly over two decades, before it was demolished in 1997.
\nOne feature that did not survive Clementi\u2019s transformation was a military setup known as Colombo Camp, which stood where Clementi New Town is today.
\nTroops from the Singapore Guard Regiment were stationed there until the regiment was dissolved in 1971. The camp remained there until it was demolished in 1975.
\nPost-colonial progress
\nOnce Colombo Camp had been demolished, Clementi as we know it today began to take shape. From 1975 to 1979, Clementi New Town was built on the plot of land where the camp had stood, gradually being transformed into one of Singapore\u2019s many self-sustaining residential estates.
\nIn line with these plans, the HDB started clearing the area one year prior to the commencement of its redevelopment, and saw to it that the affected villagers were resettled.
\nToday, Clementi New Town forms the main residential component of Clementi, with a mix of HDB neighbourhoods and landed housing enclaves, the latter concentrated in the west of the estate.
\nIt is served by Clementi MRT station, and the arterial road after which it is named, Clementi Road, is still in use; it stretches approximately 5km from Jalan Anak Bukit (around the Bukit Timah area) to the West Coast Highway.
\nApart from Clementi Road, the two other arterial roads serving Clementi are the West Coast high and the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE). Geographically, Clementi also includes Sunset Way Estate, as well as the residential areas near the MRT station and at Commonwealth Avenue West. Its current population stands at approximately 72,500.
\nConvenient living in Clementi
\nLike most residential estates in Singapore, Clementi has plenty of amenities that make its residents\u2019 lives easier. Right next to the MRT station are two shopping malls, CityVibe and The Clementi Mall. There is another mall, 321 Clementi, not far from the Clementi Sports Hall. Slightly further away is West Coast Plaza, situated along West Coast Road.
\nRetail malls aside, there are the Clementi Neighbourhood Police Post and Clementi Polyclinic at Clementi Avenue 3, and the Clementi Fire Station at Commonwealth Avenue West. In terms of recreation, the estate has the Clementi Swimming Complex, Sports Hall and Stadium, as well as Clementi Woods Park and West Coast Park.
\nClementi also has a good number of primary, secondary and tertiary schools, including Nan Hua Primary School, Nan Hua High School, the National University of Singapore, Singapore Polytechnic, SIM University and The Japanese School Singapore (Singapore Nihonjin Gakko).<\/p>\n