Along the coast, there used to be Malay kampungs such as Kampung Lobang Bom, Kampung Tanjong Irau and Kampung Tengah.
Another well-known village, Kampung Wak Hassan, pre-dated the Naval Base. It was founded in 1914, by a Malay named Wak Hassan bin Ali, who worked at the former police post at the mouth of Sungei Sembawang. He acquired the rights to the land stretching from the river to Westhill Estate and planted cash crops such as coconuts. When the British took over the land for the Naval Base, the kampung was moved to where Kampung Wak Hassan is today, at the former Seletar Pier. All the Malay villages were demolished during the 1980s and 1990s to make way for development. Kampung Wak Hassan, cleared in 1998, was the last kampung to go.