In his National Day Rally speech on 18 August 1996, then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong announced the Singapore Government's plan to develop Punggol, known as "Punggol 21".
Punggol 21 was a new model for housing, which would feature a new concept in housing as a model for new towns in the 21st century.
It would have a mix of private houses, executive condominiums, and high-grade HDB flats grouped into smaller, distinctly designed estates.
Each estate would contain between 1,200 and 2,800 units, with a common neighbourhood green.
Every housing unit would be located within 300 metres of the nearest LRT station.
Schools, libraries, and community clubs would be clustered for convenience, and there would be three commercial centres, including shopping centres.

A few months after the speech, Punggol 21, which was part of Cheng San Group Representation Constituency then, became an election carrot for the People's Action Party (PAP) to beat a Workers' Party team led by J.B. Jeyaretnam and Tang Liang Hong.
At the general election in 1997, the five-man PAP team managed to retain Cheng San GRC with 54.8% of the valid votes.

However, Punggol 21 did not materialise fully as Singapore's economy was affected by the Asian economic crisis in 1997.
Although construction began the next year, it was stopped when demand for new flats fell sharply.
Plans were again delayed when the construction industry in Singapore experienced financial troubles in 2003.
As a result, only some 16,000 flats, out of the 80,000 planned units, have been built as at 2007.
There was only one shopping mall in the estate, Punggol Plaza, and there were no recreational facilities like cinemas or swimming pools.
As of January 2016, a second shopping mall in the estate, Waterway Point, has opened, and recreational facilities have since been planned within the estate.
In his National Day Rally speech on 18 August 1996, then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong announced the Singapore Government's plan to develop Punggol, known as "Punggol 21". Punggol 21 was a new model for housing, which would feature a new concept in housing as a model for new towns in the 21st century. It would have a mix of private houses, executive condominiums, and high-grade HDB flats grouped into smaller, distinctly designed estates. Each estate would contain between 1,200 and 2,800 units, with a common neighbourhood green. Every housing unit would be located within 300 metres of the nearest LRT station. Schools, libraries, and community clubs would be clustered for convenience, and there would be three commercial centres, including shopping centres.
A few months after the speech, Punggol 21, which was part of Cheng San Group Representation Constituency then, became an election carrot for the People's Action Party (PAP) to beat a Workers' Party team led by J.B. Jeyaretnam and Tang Liang Hong. At the general election in 1997, the five-man PAP team managed to retain Cheng San GRC with 54.8% of the valid votes.
However, Punggol 21 did not materialise fully as Singapore's economy was affected by the Asian economic crisis in 1997. Although construction began the next year, it was stopped when demand for new flats fell sharply. Plans were again delayed when the construction industry in Singapore experienced financial troubles in 2003. As a result, only some 16,000 flats, out of the 80,000 planned units, have been built as at 2007. There was only one shopping mall in the estate, Punggol Plaza, and there were no recreational facilities like cinemas or swimming pools. As of January 2016, a second shopping mall in the estate, Waterway Point, has opened, and recreational facilities have since been planned within the estate.
Punggol