Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether building a road to ease traffic congestion justifies destroying the Bukit Brown cemetery which is considered a heritage site by some groups; and (b) how does the Ministry balance the needs of development with conservation.

Mr Khaw Boon Wan: The Land Transport Authority's proposed road across Bukit Brown is needed to ease traffic congestion in that area during peak hours. Today, the tailback on the slip road from PIE onto Lornie Road is often more than 500 metres during the evening peak hours. With new developments in the centre and north of Singapore, the Land Transport Authority expects this traffic demand to further grow by as much as 30% by 2020.

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We recognise the historic and heritage value of Bukit Brown Cemetery. This is why several alternative options were carefully studied before the decision to build this road was made.

One option was the widening of Lornie Road. This however adversely impacted the existing nature reserve and also required the acquisition of private homes. The idea of a viaduct above Lornie Road or Bukit Brown was also looked at. This was found unsuitable because the building process itself would have the same if not greater impact than a road on Bukit Brown Cemetery. Likewise for the option of a tunnel, conventional excavation would have to be employed due to the required width of the tunnel and this would have an adverse impact greater than a road option. On the balance of these considerations, the road option was chosen as it posed the least adverse impact on the existing nature reserve, on Bukit Brown Cemetery, and also does not require the acquisition of residences.

There are more than 100,000 graves at Bukit Brown cemetery. The road works will be conducted in a manner to ensure that it will not affect most (viz 95%) of them. And before these works start in a year's time, an Advisory Committee formed by the Urban Redevelopment Authority will oversee the documentation of the 5% affected graves. Members of the Advisory Committee include the Hokkien Huay Kuan, Singapore Heritage Society, The Peranakan Association, and other relevant scholars and experts. Many volunteers have also stepped forward to help in this work.

The Government has always needed to make difficult decisions over competing interests, about how we use our land. This is necessary because land is scarce in an island like Singapore with its plural ethnic character and corresponding diversity of interests. Whether such choices and decisions had entailed the acquisition of private land, or communal spaces including cemeteries and religious buildings, such decisions were and are never taken lightly. This Bukit Brown road project, for instance, was delayed by several years to ensure that all the various alternative options were studied and evaluated.

We remain committed to conserving our heritage. More than 7,000 buildings, including those located in entire heritage districts such as Chinatown, Kampong Glam and Little India, as well as 64 national monuments, have been kept. Where development is needed, we will endeavour to exercise care and sensitivity to preserve our past. However, we must remain also no less committed to and responsible for meeting the practical living needs of our people as well.

Written Answers to Questions

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