More greenery retained, fewer homes planned for Maju Forest, Gillman Barracks sites after public feedback

SINGAPORE: The government will retain more greenery than originally planned at Sunset Way and Gillman Barracks following public feedback, and that would mean fewer homes, said Minister of State for National Development Alvin Tan on Friday (Aug 14). Speaking to reporters near Block 103 Clementi Street 14, outside Maju Forest, Mr Tan said the government is "looking to make adjustments" to the current plans for both sites , which were already developed in consultation with nature groups. While formal consultations closed on Aug 6, the government has continued to engage and hear from various stakeholders. "Residents and the general public too have asked us to retain more greenery. We will take these suggestions into consideration as we make the adjustments," he said on Friday. "Now, with the changes, we will have even more greenery on both areas than originally planned. We will work out exactly how much more, but we will have to accept that this means we can build fewer homes on both sides for fellow Singaporeans." The Housing and Development Board (HDB) announced on Jul 10 that it would build new homes at Gillman Barracks and Sunset Way following the completion of environmental and heritage studies. About 15ha of Maju Forest at Sunset Way and at least 10ha of forest at Gillman Barracks may be cleared to make room for these housing developments. The proposed redevelopment has drawn public outcry, with residents and nature groups calling for stronger environmental safeguards . At an engagement session for the proposed residential development at Sunset Way on Jul 17, some residents told CNA they were worried about overdevelopment and the effects of deforestation, and said they remained unsettled.

Mr Tan said on Friday that the government had set aside some greenery and forested areas in the current plan. "But the current plan was never final. Now, based on feedback we received so far, we plan to make further adjustments to the plan," he added. For Gillman Barracks, the current plan includes green spaces equivalent to 40 per cent of these spaces. This includes important features such as most of the native-dominated secondary forest, the entire forest stream, and also ecological connections to neighbouring parks and Labrador Nature Reserve. Nature groups have asked authorities to consider maintaining a wider central green corridor that enhances the north-south connectivity towards Telok Blangah Hill Park, Labrador Nature Reserve, and Berlayer Creek Nature Park, as well as the east-west connectivity towards HortPark and Mount Faber Park, he said.

For Maju Forest, the current plan retains around 35 per cent of the forested areas, including the native-dominated secondary forest, a natural freshwater stream, its surrounding riparian buffer and the former Jurong railway line, to maintain ecological connectivity. "Similarly, nature groups have emphasised the importance of enhancing ecological connection by widening the green corridor. Now, this will allow a more contiguous vegetated area for animals to forage," he said. The government is still receiving feedback and aims to finalise the plans "over the coming month or so". Mr Tan added that they value all inputs and voices from Members of Parliament (MPs) such as Ms Sim Ann, Mr Christopher de Souza and Ms Rachel Ong, who have been "advocating hard on behalf of the residents", as well as nature groups and members of the public. "They are all playing their part to help us meet the housing needs of our fellow Singaporeans and to achieve our vision of a city in nature," he said.

Speaking to the media, president of the Nature Society Singapore (NSS) Leong Kwok Peng said their "highest aspiration" is that the forest is not touched by development. "But if you have to develop, could we work harder in terms of planning to see how we can ensure that the forest is sizeable enough as a habitat - not just as a linear corridor - but a forest habitat," he added. "Something that (has) a bit more volume, not a slice of land and a patch of stream up there. Something that is all-encompassing." He suggested two-thirds of the forest could be retained. NSS has given their feedback in closed-door and one-to-one meetings with the Ministry of National Development (MND), he said, adding that he hoped HDB will share a summary of the feedback it has received so far. Mr Leong said the response from the public has “kind of shocked” him. “I think Maju Forest has taken a life of its own,” he said. “Having said that, (it's) quite heartening to see the youth and the local MPs are very active in engaging the constituents, the residents about it. So I think the conversation has not completed, and I think the conversation can just go on for a bit longer.”

Earlier this month, Mr Tan said in parliament that plans for the sites were not finalised, after MPs filed 18 parliamentary questions on the issues. He said then that the environmental and heritage studies being done for both sites were “not meant to justify a detailed plan that is already fixed”. He also stressed that the government values heritage and green spaces, but also wants Singaporeans and future generations to have access to affordable public housing. "I wish we had an abundance of land, so we can provide all of these without having to make trade-offs. But that is not our reality," he said. Following the closure of the public consultation period, HDB and MND said in a Facebook post on Aug 7 that they would continue to engage stakeholders as they review the plans. "We are carefully reviewing all the feedback received. Once ready, we will publish a report summarising the feedback and agencies’ responses before finalising the detailed development plans," they added.