A cycling and inline skating track runs along the perimeter of the park, which measures over 15 km (9.3 mi) long.

[3] Initial plans for the park included a 9-acre (3.6 ha) swimming lagoon, areas for camping and picnicking, and outdoor sports facilities such as tennis courts.

[4] Construction on a $12 million, 350-acre (140 ha) seaside holiday resort began in September 1974[5] and a dedicated cycling track was opened for public use at the end of that year.

[11] Plans for a 1200-seat food centre near the lagoon were announced in April,[12] and the first batch of the Housing and Urban Development Company's (HUDC) chalets were opened in May, with the rest following soon after.

It featured an 85-metre-long (279 ft) slide, which was claimed to be the world's longest and highest, and an artificial wave pool, as well as food outlets.

[15] Nevertheless, the aquatic centre suffered from poor business and low patronage, and cost $2 million a year to operate.

As a result, the original operator sold it to the Singapore Industrial Business Organisation (SILO) for $4.3 million the following year.

[22] The cycling track was also extended from the lagoon to Changi Point and the entire East Coast area was landscaped as parkland over two years beginning in 1981, to cope with the large number of users.

[23] The East Coast Recreation Centre, built at a cost of $3.5 million, opened in 1982, with restaurants, a computer library, sports facilities, and a remote-control car track.

[25] To facilitate crime prevention and public outreach, a police post was opened in the park in October 1982.

[26] Construction of what was stated to be one end of the park, a 1.2 km (0.75 mi) stretch between Bedok Canal and the Tanah Merah Golf Club, began in 1983.

[27] In February 1985, plans to extend the park by 17 ha (42 acres) to the Bedok Canal were announced, along with additional facilities to be built within that area.

[33] In May 1990, in light of similar violations across Singapore, the eight restaurants at the seafood centre were fined, and two suspended, for poor hygiene and for breaking several health laws.

[36] The park was also the first area which litterbugs cleaned up when given a Corrective Work Order (CWO) under a new law, implemented in 1992.

[37] The park had also been facing considerable soil erosion, with two to seven per cent of jogging and cycling paths relocated as of 1993.

[38] In November 1992, Sun Corporation announced plans to develop a $40 million leisure and recreation park at the lagoon.

[40] Plans for E-zone, a $50 million theme park at the East Coast Recreation Centre, were announced in July 1995.

These included the 1.5 ha (3.7-acre) Bougainvillea Garden and the $2 million Cable Ski Park Ski360 which was located at the East Coast Lagoon.

[51] Additional closures followed, with several restaurants at the East Coast Seafood Centre making way for a lawn in 2015, and Raintree Cove, consisting of 10 establishments, closing in 2017.

[2] Redevelopment works in the park were completed with the opening of Coastal PlayGrove, a recreational area for adolescents, on the former Big Splash site in March 2021,[56] while plans for additional facilities, such as a nature trail and a wellness garden, were announced that year.

[14] The owners of the restaurants were initially unhappy with the offer to move, citing reduced seating and patronage at the new site.

[60] In response, the Ministry of National Development claimed that with the offer, they were helping them by allowing them to continue business permanently, since the restaurants were then operating on a temporary basis.

That same year, all the restaurants at the centre were fined, while two, Golden Lagoon and Jumbo, were suspended for two weeks for violations of health regulations, such as poor hygiene practices.

However, by 2015, customer numbers had decreased considerably, with those at Red House Seafood falling by 35 per cent in the previous two years.

Construction of the East Coast Recreation Centre began in April 1980, and it was completed in early 1982 at a cost of $3.5 million.

The location was sold to Rock Productions, New Creation Church's business arm, in 2002, and it was subsequently renamed Marine Cove.

[54] The new Marine Cove featuring a greater variety of dining options and a 3,500 m2 (38,000 sq ft) children's playground at the redeveloped facility, reopened on 28 June 2016.

Bedok Jetty was originally built by a local businessman Mr Yap Swee Hong at a cost of $1.5 million in 1966.

An SAF Field Hospital was deployed to Bedok Jetty to provide first aid and other essential medical services to all Singapore bound refugee boats fleeing South Vietnam following the fall of Saigon in 1975.