Scope of Environmental Impact Assessment for Housing Sites to Include Wider Climate Effects and Criteria to Release Nature Areas for Development

Dr Hamid Razak asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether environmental impact assessments for housing sites evaluate wider climate effects, including loss of carbon sequestration capacity, beyond construction-phase impacts; and (b) what criteria are applied when deciding whether a nature area intended to be "kept for as long as possible" may be released for development.

Mr Chee Hong Tat: This question was addressed in the Ministry of National Development's reply to the questions asked by Dr Charlene Chen, Mr Christopher de Souza, Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong, Ms Eileen Chong Pei Shan, Ms Elysa Chen, Mr Fadli Fawzi, Ms He Ting Ru, Ms Joan Pereira, Mr Kenneth Tiong Boon Kiat, Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin, Miss Rachel Ong, Ms Valerie Lee and Mr Low Wu Yang Andre on 4 August 2026. [Please refer to "Assessments, Consultations and Consideration of Alternative Sites for Housing before Decisions on Clearance of Gillman Barracks and Maju Forest", Official Report, 4 August 2026, Vol 96, Issue 33, Oral Answers to Questions section.]