Distinguished guests, colleagues, good morning.

1. I am pleased to be here this morning to launch the Draft Master Plan for the West Region. The West Region is the first in a series of 5 regions that will be exhibited over the coming months for public feedback. These exhibitions will culminate with the gazette of the new Master Plan 2003 at the end of the year.

2. In July last year 2 preliminary plans - the Parks and Waterbodies Plan and the Identity Plan, were drawn up for public consultation. These 2 Plans put forth ideas on how we could further enhance our living environment and recognise the character of our local places. The enthusiastic feedback and support from the public was very heartening. URA has modified the plans where necessary, and consolidated the Draft Master Plan 2003.

Approach for Master Plan 2003 review

3. The Master Plan was last reviewed in 1998. Most of the planning intentions indicated on Master Plan 1998 remain relevant and will be retained in Master Plan 2003. Master Plan 2003 reflects the key strategies identified in Concept Plan 2001. We will focus on providing greater flexibility for businesses; raising the quality of our living environment; and recognising the identity of some areas with a special place in our hearts.

Planning for business flexibility

4. The business environment has evolved rapidly with the advancement of technology. The traditional distinction between different business uses has become blurred. Businesses also need to adjust quickly to market needs.

5. To offer businesses greater flexibility, we will move away from the prevailing prescriptive land use zoning system which ascribes specific uses to designated zones. For instance, under the current system, light industrial uses must be located on sites designated as a Light Industry zone, heavy industries on the General Industry zone and warehouse uses on designated Warehouse zones. This will change under Master Plan 2003.

6. We will introduce 2 new zones in Master Plan 2003: the Business 1 zone, and the Business 2 zone. These business zones group industrial and other related activities, such as utility facilities, according to their impact on the environment.

7. The Business 1 zone will cater to uses that require no more than a 50m buffer from surrounding uses, while the Business 2 zone will include uses like general industries, which require a buffer of more than 50m from surrounding uses. The new industrial zoning would give industrialists the flexibility of having a mix of uses within the same site. If business needs change, industrialists can adapt their uses without the need to seek rezoning for the site. In the current prescriptive land use zoning system, this is not possible. The new Business 1 & Business 2 zones will replace the existing Warehouse, Light Industry and General Industry zones.

8. In addition, we will also extend the uses allowed within 'White' sites. The 'White' site concept was introduced in 1995 to give developers the flexibility to propose a mix of commercial, residential and hotel uses. We will now also permit sports and recreational facilities on 'White' sites. Clean industrial uses and R&D facilities can also be considered.

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Building homes

9. Despite being considerably built-up, residents in Singapore have a high standard of living, with more than 90% owning their homes, enjoying efficient transport and convenient facilities.

10. To meet housing needs in the medium term, we are planning for another 300,000 new homes in Master Plan 2003. In accommodating the additional housing units, we will intensify residential land selectively, especially near public transport nodes. To minimize disruption, we will intensify on "soft" land which has not yet been developed. This will enable areas that have already been built-up to be left intact, so that the estate's established character can be retained.

11. We are also mindful of the need to continue providing a variety of housing forms - landed housing, low to medium-rise developments and high-density housing. This will give people the choice of selecting the environment they prefer to live in.

12. High-density housing would thus be introduced only at suitable locations where there are less severe technical height constraints, and where they are near transport facilities such as MRT stations. Low to medium-density housing development will generally be located in areas to serve as a transition from high-density developments to low-density housing forms such as landed housing, so as to maintain the character of low density areas as far as possible. We also need to ensure that the transportation and infrastructure network of the area is improved, if necessary, to support the higher density developments proposed.

13. Land for additional schools and community facilities will also be reflected in the draft Master Plans.

14. Nonetheless, planners recognize the special traits of places so that their identities are not inadvertently eroded over time through development. The Identity Plan exhibited in July 02 presented ideas on how familiar nodes such as Thomson Village, Tanjong Katong and Balestier could be enhanced to reinforce the character of these areas. URA is now looking into innovative solutions that would retain the low rise scale and character of these areas as far as possible, without compromising redevelopment potential. The detailed development guidelines would be announced when the draft Master Plans for these areas are exhibited over the coming months.

A city in a 'green' playground

15. Singapore is internationally known as a Garden City. We intend to become "a city in a garden" for our people to live, work and play in. As such, the Master Plan has also focused on the preservation of green spaces such as parks and nature areas; and ensuring their accessibility to all members of the public, young and old, fit and the not-so-fit.

16. In this current Master Plan review, we are adding 1,200 ha of open space for the public to enjoy. We will also inter-connect our parks as much as possible through park connectors.

17. Despite being a small island, we do have some unique natural areas. Our land scarcity makes these natural areas even more precious and also more vulnerable in the face of competing land uses. Once lost, they will be impossible to replace. Consequently our urban planners are committed to safeguarding our natural heritage as far as possible while making space for development. We will reflect this commitment to safeguard natural areas in our land use plans. Through this, we are also responding to calls from the public and interest groups to protect Singapore's natural heritage in a sensitive and balanced manner.

18. There are four gazetted Nature Reserves which are protected in Singapore. These places, like Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve do not merely serve as quiet retreats or recreational grounds. They are an integral part of our natural heritage and their bio-diversity makes them globally-significant treasure troves for education, scientific and horticultural research generations down the road. Nature reserves will be shown explicitly on the Master Plan 2003. This is similar to our existing approach of reflecting built heritage in gazetted conservation areas like Chinatown on the Master Plan.

19. In addition, there are other Nature Areas rich in biodiversity that have been identified by National Parks Board (NParks) and nature groups. These also make up part of the greenery that gives Singapore our unique "garden city" image. Some of these will be safeguarded and shown on the Special & Detailed Control Plan which accompanies the land use plan. Many of these Nature Areas will also be sensitively integrated into parks in the MP 03 to preserve their natural heritage. NParks would have to be consulted if there were any development proposals in or near these nature areas.

Highlights of the Draft Master Plan for the West Region

20. Having outlined the general concepts behind Master Plan 2003, let me now share with you some highlights of the draft Master Plan specifically for the West Region. It will be implemented progressively in the immediate to medium term.

21. About 243,000 families live in the West Region presently. The Draft Master Plan has planned for another 68,000 housing units to be added into the West Region.

22. To make the West region a more attractive place to live in, we will enhance the vibrancy of Jurong Regional Centre to serve as a major focal point. Jurong Regional Centre will boast a mix of commercial, retail, business, residential and entertainment uses. We hope this will bring about an exciting, integrated live-work-play environment with its own distinct identity.

23. The existing Jurong East MRT station and bus interchange will be integrated with developments at the Jurong Regional Centre. Through a network of interconnected linkages, people will be able to walk comfortably within Jurong Regional Centre, and make their way with ease from the Jurong East MRT station, through the Regional Centre, en-route to their destinations like the International Business Park, the nearby residential estates or the beautiful Jurong Lake.

24. Residents in the West can look forward to more community facilities including a new Jurong General Hospital, a polyclinic, community clubs, a new sports complex in Jurong West and more schools. The Jurong East library is also being upgraded, and when renovations complete in Yr 2004, the library will be five times the size of the Orchard Library.

25. Another 160ha of green spaces will also be added to existing natural gems like "Xiao Guilin". These green spaces can take the form of park connectors, new town parks, park extensions and interim parks. Bukit Timah Hill Park will be extended and will include the former Dairy Farm Quarry and the Singapore Quarry. These abandoned quarries and their surroundings have unique land-forms and water features that will be a haven for the more adventurous to explore. Nature areas like the Bukit Batok nature area will be retained for as long as possible and safeguarded in the Master Plan 2003.

26. A number of roads such as West Coast Highway, Toh Guan Link and Jurong Town Hall Rd will have to be widened to enhance the existing road network and to support the increasing number of residents and employees in the West. In the pipeline is also a light rail system, the Jurong Regional Line, which will be implemented in future to cater to students and staff of Nanyang Technological University, and residents in Jurong living beyond the end point of the existing East-West MRT line.

Invitation for public feedback

27. I invite all of you, particularly those living and working in the West Region, to come to the URA Centre and visit the exhibition over the next three weeks. Find out for yourself the vision and plans in store for the West Region. Give us your views and comments. It is only through your participation that we can plan for the best and most meaningful places to live, work and play in.

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