Mr Alan Chan, Chairman of URA

Distinguished guests

Ladies and gentlemen

Building an Endearing Home for All

Singapore’s cityscape is set for a major transformation in the next few years. Marina Bay, the southern waterfront, Orchard Road, will be rejuvenated. Our housing estates will also undergo a major makeover.

2. These changes are exciting. However, even as we remake our city, we need to conserve some parts of our old cityscape, to remind us of our personal and shared histories. Shared memories of our past bond us to our fellow citizens. Remembering our own cherished places is what makes Singapore a familiar and endearing home for all of us.

Pragmatic approach towards conservation

3. It is for this reason that URA has embarked on a comprehensive conservation programme some 20 years ago. Through thinking ahead, careful planning, detailed studies, systematic implementation and hard decisions, complemented by the support of the general public and the private sector, we have managed to conserve more than 6,500 buildings today.

4. For a small island state with only 700 sq km, this is a major challenge. As a land-scarce nation, we have to take a pragmatic and balanced approach towards conservation. For each potential conservation site, there is a tension between re-development and conservation. We cannot conserve every single building with architectural merit. There will be cases where conservation will mean excessive costs to society in terms of financial loss to property owners or serious loss of redevelopment potential or compromise to national infrastructure. Fortunately, it is not always a zero-sum situation. Where possible, we can achieve both objectives through an old-meets-new approach that allows conserved buildings to remain relevant to today’s Singapore. For its conservation efforts, URA was conferred the Global Award for Excellence 2006 by Urban Land Institute last year. It is worthy to note that the jurors of the Global Awards for Excellence had attributed the success of our conservation programme to this balance of “free-market economics with cultural conservation”.

Strengthening Katong and Joo Chiat’s identity

5. This achievement spurs our continuing efforts. We remain committed to protecting Singapore’s built heritage. Even as we plan new developments that will transform Singapore into a world-class distinctive city, our planners and architects are continually studying and identifying more heritage buildings and places for conservation.

6. One area, which we have worked on continually, is the Katong/ Joo Chiat area. Home to the local Eurasian and Peranakan communities, the Katong/ Joo Chiat area is well known for its diverse and interesting mix of architecture, history, culture and activities. To protect the charming character of this area, about 700 buildings located primarily along key roads such as Joo Chiat Road and East Coast Road, as well as 15 bungalows along Mountbatten Road, have already been gazetted for conservation.

7. I am pleased to announce that URA has recently embarked on public consultation with the owners of another 228 Katong/ Joo Chiat buildings proposed for conservation, including bungalows, terrace houses and shop houses. The aim of this conservation proposal is to complete conservation of the street block and add to the critical mass of heritage buildings and rich architectural diversity in Katong and Joo Chiat. Seeking the individual owners’ views is in line with URA’s consultative approach. It also contributes to a more transparent process in gazetting buildings for conservation. The extent of the conservation that finally materialises will take into account the owners’ feedback.

8. The proposed buildings include intricately detailed late-style shop houses at the junction of Everitt Road and Koon Seng Road, as well as the charming St Hilda's Church, which has become an established local landmark and identity marker over the decades.

Enhancing our living environment

9. Creating an endearing home goes beyond conserving individual heritage buildings. It is also about strengthening the identity of places where we live, work and play.

10. Many of our HDB housing estates and towns have their distinctive character and local landmarks. This is a testament to the good town design by pioneers who worked to not just provide flats, but homes in new towns that Singaporeans could come to feel for. Earlier this year, I had announced plans for the rejuvenation of some of the older housing estates like Queenstown under the ongoing Master Plan 2008 review. Rejuvenation does not necessarily mean starting from a clean slate. URA is working closely with HDB to identify and retain selected local landmarks that are familiar to the heartland communities. These include buildings, icons, and recognisable markers in established housing estates. For instance, the old Commonwealth Market that was the heart of old Queenstown Town Centre will be retained in the rejuvenation plans for Dawson, Queenstown. Through these efforts, we hope to preserve the collective social memories of the place.

11. During the Master Plan 2003 review, URA had also identified several areas featured in the Parks & Waterbodies Plan and Identity Plan where more work can be done to enhance the distinct character, identity and overall environment of each area. These areas were selected after considering the existing conditions, needs of local communities and public feedback.

12. I am pleased to announce that the URA will implement various environmental improvement projects in 2008 in some of these areas that will serve to bring out the character of these areas, as well as make existing social activity nodes in these areas more vibrant.

13. For instance, Punggol Point conjures up images of sandy beach, lush shady trees, and a balmy sea breeze. Many people would have fond memories of enjoying a delicious seafood meal by the waterfront at Punggol Point. Others may have spent a peaceful weekend getaway in one of the holiday chalets there. I hear it is also a haunt for anglers who camp overnight during weekends. To enhance its rustic coastal character, we are proposing to open up the waterfront for public enjoyment by building a new 4.9-km waterfront promenade stretching from Punggol Point to Sungei Serangoon. This will link up the two recreational clusters at Punggol Point and Sungei Serangoon as well as connect to the existing park connectors along Sungei Punggol and Sungei Serangoon. Other environmental improvement projects to be rolled out in other areas include a coastal promenade at Woodlands, and roadside improvements at Siglap Village and Upper Serangoon Road.

14. URA is currently developing the design proposals for the projects with the appointed consultants. When ready, we will share the plans with the community leaders for their inputs. These improvements are planned for completion around 2008 to 2010.

Honours for six new winners

15. Protecting and restoring Singapore’s built heritage cannot be done by the Government alone. We appreciate strong support from both the private and people sectors. Increasingly, more and more enlightened developers and owners have willingly expended resources to buy and restore their conservation buildings for the benefit of the larger society and our future generations. I want to thank them for their laudable effort and encourage others to follow in their footsteps.

16. The annual URA Architectural Heritage Awards were set up to recognise and inspire quality restoration and architectural excellence, as well as raise public awareness of conservation. Several of the past Award winners have gone on to win regional accolades, such as Thian Hock Kheng Temple and Chijmes. Recently, one of last year’s winners, the old St Andrew’s School, received Honourable Mention at the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards 2007.

17. Of the six award winners this year, three of them are State-owned buildings. The oldest among them, National Museum of Singapore, is worthy to be called the ‘grand dame of Singapore’s architectural heritage’. Yet this national monument also proves its timelessness by reinventing itself with a complementary rear extension and glass connector to meet modern museum needs. After restoration, the rustic Tudor-style house at No. 1 Pulau Ubin reopened earlier this July as a visitor centre to Chek Jawa Wetlands. Three modern buildings in the National University of Singapore Bukit Timah Campus also impressed the jury with its fine balance between aesthetics and functionality as a world-class educational institution. The other winner in Category A for fully conserved buildings is Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa, which used to house British soldiers but now offer luxurious lodgings for travellers today.

18. In Category B, we have two winners that innovatively integrate old and new elements this year. One is a terrace house at 13 Martaban Road, which has been delightfully transformed into a chic modern home for 21st century living. The other is a shop house at 62 Niven Road, which has creatively overcome its tight space to create a cosy home.

Staying on course

19. There is no end to the conservation journey. To build a home that will root our people to this land, we will continue to strike a fine balance between protecting our built heritage and ensuring development needs are met. We will have to continue seeking out creative solutions to conserve buildings such that development potential and design flexibility are not compromised unduly, while allowing us to retain the memories of the place meaningfully. Our planners, architects and decision makers will need to think ahead in recognising the value of buildings that are taken for granted, just as they did 30 years ago with shop houses that few appreciated at that time.

20. Once again, I would like to thank and congratulate the owners, architects, engineers and contractors of the six winning projects this year for their outstanding efforts.

>>back to top