Mr Bobby Chin, Chairman URA
BG Tan Yong Soon, CEO URA
Members of the building profession
Colleagues at URA

Introduction - Increasing competition, new directions

In his New Year Address this year, PM said, there are "tectonic shifts in our external environment". President Nathan used similar words in his Address to Parliament recently. It is clear that economic competition is getting fierce. Cities no longer compete just for investments. Today, they must also compete for human capital, and that competition is also becoming fiercer by the day. Ultimately, it is outstanding, talented people who make a city great.

2 Singapore today has in place the necessary ingredients to attract and retain talents - quality housing, efficient transportation, generous green spaces, historic buildings, lively neighbourhoods and a modern CBD. All these are evidence of effective city planning, the fruit of URA's good work over the years.

3 But is this enough? Talented people will choose to live in a city not just to make a living but because it is unique, exciting and offers an appealing lifestyle. URA can play an important role towards meeting these needs.

4 We cannot take any of our talented people for granted, whether they are `home grown' or from elsewhere. Nowadays, it is common for Singaporeans to be posted over-seas, for ambitious entrepreneurs to venture abroad, and for students who graduate in a foreign university to stay on and work in the foreign country.

5 Many of these Singaporeans have returned home after their stint because of Friends, Family and Food. But these may no longer be enough to keep them here. Friends and Family may themselves move overseas. Or they can easily stay in touch through email, cheaper IDD calls and faster air-travel. As for Food, Singapore restaurants and food courts overseas are now quite common, and chicken rice can now be had anywhere in the world, using the pre-packed mix launched by PSB recently.

6 So, we need to go beyond this to help root Singaporeans to Singapore. There needs to be a strong emotional attachment to Singapore itself, as a country, so that people will say: "I want to live here."

7 One of the factors that hold a strong emotional attachment for us are the `places' we experience and which we remember - childhood haunts, neighbourhood hangouts, or where we had a romantic first date. Such places cannot be duplicated in another country.
In fact, identity and conservation in the physical environment become increasingly important even as the mobility of Singaporeans increases. So, these will play a more critical role in the way URA plans.

8 When drawing up the Concept Plan 2001, URA and MND carried out a comprehensive and successful public consultation. We wanted Singaporeans to have a say in their future and their home. We were very happy to receive enthusiastic response to our invitation for views and ideas. Many of which were incorporated into the Concept Plan 2001. URA will continue to take a more consultative approach in drawing up the new Master Plan.

9 Going forward, in addition to building on its consultative approach, URA intends to also experiment with some new and bold ideas in its planning. Let me elaborate on a few key ideas.

Formation of CAP

10 URA has already gazetted over 5,600 pre-war buildings for conservation. Some two-thirds of them have been restored, enriching our cityscape.

11 URA is now identifying more buildings for possible conservation. These include buildings constructed after World War II which are of significant historical and architectural merits. These post-war buildings chronicle our early nation-building efforts and remind us of how far we have progressed.

12 The government recognises the need to engage the public on conserving our built heritage. We want to better understand and take in a wider range of views, not just from the professionals, but also from the community. The Concept Plan 2001 Focus Group recommended that the Government set up an advisory body to give input to MND and URA on conservation matters. MND has accepted this recommendation. This advisory body will be named the Conservation Advisory Panel (or "CAP").
It will comprise members of the public and from government who will give inputs and evaluate proposals on building conservation.

Focusing on identity

13 While conserving buildings is important, we know that other elements of the physical environment also contribute to the identity of a place.

14 Many of us have shared memories of familiar places, streets and neighbourhoods. We need to recognise what else, besides the buildings, is "Singaporean" about our cityscape. This is why reinforcing "identity" is a key thrust of the Concept Plan 2001.

15 Following up on the Concept Plan, URA is preparing an Identity Plan for the whole island as part of the Master Plan 2003 review. This involves, among other things, taking stock of all significant activity nodes across the island.

16 These nodes are well-established "villages" of unique character. Each of them is a focus of social and commercial activities for the surrounding community. Having identified these nodes, the planners will seek ways to reinforce their existing character.

17 In July, URA will exhibit the Identity Plan highlighting these nodes and the proposed strategies to reinforce their local character. Some of these nodes include areas like the 7th Mile stretch at Anak Bukit, and smaller ones like Jalan Leban off Thomson Road. The strategies will include guidelines on how new developments could be done sensitively while maintaining the character of the area as far as possible. URA will also suggest how existing local activities can be sustained, how the environment can be improved and the streetscape made more pedestrian friendly.

18 Whatever is exhibited in July will be a first cut only. We will seek feedback and suggestions from residents, stakeholders and the general public through various channels. The final plan will thus be a joint product of the public and the government.

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Giving communities more say

19 We are also planning to give communities more say in shaping their neighbourhoods. If you look around the neighbourhoods, you might see vacant state land that has not yet been developed. So far, we have been cautious about allowing interim uses on such land, because of concerns that such interim use would become entrenched and difficult to phase out when the land is eventually needed for development. We need to rethink this. Vacant land is a precious resource and we want to optimise its use while it awaits development.

20 URA and SLA are identifying vacant state land parcels that can be put to suitable interim use. This idea has also been discussed at the Land Working Group of the Economic Review Committee, the ERC. For example, there are some vacant, green spaces that are not parks but are not yet required for development either. Such vacant land can be converted into an interim green and be linked to housing estates by park connectors to enable residents to enjoy them. Other vacant land can be used as arts venues or for recreation uses.

21 In HDB towns, URA and HDB, together with SLA, will help to make available state land to community organizations and local Advisors who want to use them for interim community facilities, as long as it is not required for development. Residents can provide suggestions to the community organizations and local Advisors on the uses they would like to see. There can be a variety of uses, like playing fields, hard courts and even vegetable plots.

22 The interim use of such vacant land for community activities can encourage communities to bond and create more vibrant neighbourhoods. I see this as a good opportunity for each community to have a bigger say in its own neighbourhood.

23 With more say, though, comes more responsibility. When a community organization or local Advisor decides to put a piece of vacant land to interim use, it has to manage residents' expectations from the start. When the time comes for the land to be developed for some other long-term use, they will be responsible for handing it back to the State. Thus, it is important that we have the understanding of the community, that the land will have to be released for development some time down the road.

Continuing to be pro-business

24 Now, I would like to talk a bit about being pro-business. Knowledge and innovation are key drivers of the new Singapore Economy. We want to encourage new enterprising economic activities.
The challenge faced by URA is how to facilitate the growth of such new innovative businesses. For example, currently, development charge is imposed when there is an enhancement in the value of property when it is put to a higher value use. Even if the intended use is only for the short term, the full amount of development charge is payable upfront. This can be quite a deterrent to someone who wants to launch a new enterprise.

25 URA has discussed this issue at the Land Working group of the ERC. One way to lower the barrier would be to provide an alternative choice of paying a levy based on the length of the intended period of use. The ERC is currently studying this idea, among others, and will make its recommendations in due course.

Innovating land sales

26 URA is always exploring ways to build more flexibility into its land sales approach. An example is the Reserve List, whereby sites are launched for sale only if developers indicate interest in them.

27 Since its inception in July last year, 4 sale sites from the Reserve List have been launched for sale, and 1 more will be launched within the next few days. This has enabled the Government Land Sales programme to respond to rapid changes in demand despite the freezing of the confirmed land sales programme.

28 The Reserve List is a first step to giving the market greater flexibility and choice. We are now looking at how else we can give developers more flexibility, when we release land for development. In particular, we are considering the release of a very large site where further parcellation and phasing of the development can be left to the developer. This would allow the developer greater flexibility to layout his development to better respond to market needs.

29 URA has been working with the Land Working Group of the ERC to study whether this should be implemented in the New Downtown. A developer could then tailor individual parcels to the special requirements of end-users like financial institutions, and sell those parcels as and when desired. This could strengthen Singapore's competitiveness as a financial centre.

30 Releasing such a large site would of course require a substantial financial commitment from the developer. We would need to study the extent to which this can be addressed. The detailed recommendations will be announced when the study is completed.

31 At the other end of the spectrum, URA is studying the sale of smaller parcels of land for commercial developments in specific areas. Thus far, URA has sold small plots of land for residential development, such as those in Kew Drive. The intention is to release smaller parcels for commercial developments in areas where the existing neighbourhood already comprise small scale buildings, like shophouses. In this way, the new will complement the existing, and strengthen the identity and character of the area. Creative and varied designs for the developments on these small parcels can also contribute to a more interesting streetscape.

32 Such an approach will make available a larger variety of sale parcels to developers. Smaller developers and even individuals will have a chance to participate in such developments.

Conclusion - A new mission

33 With all the rapid changes around us, it is timely that URA has reviewed its mission. I am greatly encouraged that URA is prepared to rethink the usual assumptions, rules and objectives of land use planning. I leave it to Yong Soon to elaborate on the initiatives that will help URA to fulfil its new mission: "to make Singapore a great place to live, work and play". Let me say that URA has my fullest support in fulfilling this mission.

Date: 8 April 2002

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