NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Housing

The First Five-Year Housing Programme (1961-1965), produced 51 ,000 units of low-cost housing at the cost of $192 million. Together with 23,000 units built by former governments, they now house 400,000 persons or 23 per cent of Singapore's population of 1.8 million. Under "Home Ownership for the People" Plan, 2,068 units at Queenstown have been sold to the public on instalment payments. Another 1,416 units at MacPherson Estate are being made available.

The Second Five-Year Housing Programme (1966-1970) aims to produce 60,000 units of low-cost housing in urban renewal and suburban areas at a cost of $268 million - output target 12,000 units a year. The number of units for sale under the Home Ownership Scheme to meet increasing demand will be decided upon.

The main construction activity will be concentrated in Toa Payoh, the new Satellite Town. It is an area of 620 acres of which 100 acres have already been cleared and construction on 3,500 units of housing commenced. Toa Payoh will ultimately provide 36,000 residential flats and shops for an expected population of � million people. It is estimated to cost $150 million when completed by 1970.

Land Reclamation

Earth from Toa Payoh has been used to reclaim the swamp at the Kallang Basin. Eventually 400 acres of swamp land will be reclaimed and used for developing into an industrial estate for light industries. The cost of this development is estimated to be $28.5 million and the reclamation work is expected to be completed by 1969.

Another major reclamation project is the recovery of 1,000 acres of land from the sea on a strip along the east coast six miles long extending from Bedok to Tanjong Rhu. A coastal highway is proposed which will link the town centre with the eastern suburbs. The cost of reclamation alone is estimated to be $53 million. The removal of earth from the landward side will result in the preparation of some 600 acres of land for development.

Urban Renewal and Planning

Two pilot Urban Renewal Schemes will be implemented - N1 (Crawford) and S1 (Outram Road) -

(a) N1 area 90 acres to hold 6,250 new residential units with schools, community centre, children's creche, cinema and community facilities. Acquisition and clearance is under way. The mile long strip of land fronting the sea between Beach Road and Nicoll Highway with participation from the private sector, will be used for development of high quality apartments, shops, hotels, cinemas, etc.

(b) S1 area 130 acres. 7,785 units will be built and the road system within and on the boundary of this precinct will be redesigned and improved. Private enterprise will also be invited in redevelopment of this area.

Because much of the land involved is already in State ownership, the success of these two pilot schemes is assured. Nevertheless much experience can be gained from these two schemes for further urban redevelopment.

To maximise benefit from our development and to make use of the experience of other countries, United Nations Special Fund assistance has been sought to help in the comprehensive planning and redevelopment of the whole island on the scientific basis. Singapore can always be proud of her efforts at urban redevelopment - a task which many cities yearn to do but few have the will or capacity, the resources or resourcefulness for success. Our efforts may therefore be of interest to others in conditions similar to ours. The United Nations Special Fund has indicated that our application for assistance is likely to be approved in January 1966. The assistance if approved will consist of a programme lasting 4 years (1966-1970) with experts to help local officers in the preparation of comprehensive development and transportation plans to cater for the needs of a population of 4.0 million in 1990.

Physical Planning and Building Control

Steps are in hand to secure more effective and better co-ordinated physical planning and development control in the State. A Ministerial Committee with the Prime Minister as Chairman and the Ministers for Finance, and Law and National Development as members has been established to co-ordinate policy with regard to comprehensive planning, urban renewal, rural and new town development and slum clearance. The Planning Department will be reorganised and expanded. Expert assistance will be obtained. Development Control functions will be transferred to the Chief Building Surveyor's Department so that delays now experienced by developers can be obviated.

The Chief Building Surveyor's Department will be reorganised to ensure better and more efficient service being rendered to those wanting to build houses or develop land. A more vigorous control will be exercised on unauthorised structures which had been very much of a social problem over the last few years but which problem should not be so pressing now that the housing shortage is no longer acute.

Public Works Department

The Public Works Department will concentrate its efforts on roads, bridges, drainage and sewerage works to meet the increasing needs of a growing population and a development economy. Drainage and sewerage works will be carried out in accordance with long-term plans drawn up to meet the demands of new development, new housing estates and urban and rural expansion.

Until a comprehensive transportation and traffic plan is drawn up to guide long-term development, the efforts of the P.W.D. will be channelled towards short-term or intermediate-term measures to alleviate traffic congestion and to ensure a smooth flow of traffic on our roads. Wherever possible existing roads will be widened and new roads constructed. The outer ring road system will be widened to provide dual carriageways to connect different parts of the island. Difficult intersections will be improved and certain intersections will be provided with flyovers to ease congestion.

The Public Works Department will work jointly with the Urban Renewal Unit to redevelop Kallang Park on a comprehensive basis to provide for an Exhibition, Recreation and Sports complex. In it there will be a National Stadium of Olympic standard, extensive car parking facilities as well as landscaped gardens and parks, floating restaurants, exhibition and trade centres and probably a tourist hotel.

Primary Production and Rural and Urban Services

The main objective is to help our rural residents to increase productivity and to reduce costs so as to attain a higher standard of living.

Greater effort will be made to enable our farming population to achieve self-sufficiency in vegetables and fish for Singapore. Certain areas of swamp land (Sungei Poyan and Sungei Pandan) will be reclaimed for intensive agriculture and market gardening. A new Fisheries Ordinance will be drawn up for deep sea and off-shore fishing (including trawling).

The needs of the peoples in the urban and rural areas will continue to be catered for by the Urban Rural Services Committee. Schemes to bring electricity and water to more people and to provide better communications and drainage. The policy now is to go beyond the stage of just providing a free stand pipe. Mains will be laid to the bigger kampongs so that pipe water can be available to individual households. Every effort will also be made to encourage greater development of the resources in our islands, particularly the bigger ones like Ubin and Tekong. COMMUNICATIONS

Singapore's position as an international centre for communications in South-East Asia will be strengthened when the final stage of the South-East Asia Commonwealth Submarine Telephone Cable System which links Singapore, Jesselton, Hongkong, Guam, Madang, Cairns and Sydney is completed at the end of 1966. This cable will be linked via Guam (where this Commonwealth system will have a Commonwealth-owned cable station) to similar cables in the Pacific and the Atlantic, and will enable telephonic connections to be made with the American and European continents as well as Japan.

Aviation

Facilities at the Singapore international Airport will be further developed in order to meet the increase in the number of international airlines which operate through Singapore.

Telephone Board

The Singapore Telephone Board will continue to expand its plant and exchanges to meet the ever increasing demand for telephones and expect to provide an additional 4,600 lines and 50 telephone kiosks in 1966. LAW

Land

A Land Acquisition Bill will be drafted and introduced in the coming year. This Bill will embody the principle [contained in the Land Acquisition (Amendment No. 2) Bill which was considered by Select Committee of the Assembly in 1964] that increments in value of land attributable to public expenditure will be creamed off when acquisition of land for public development takes place. The Bill will also alter the procedure in dealing with Land Acquisition Appeals.

Public Utilities

The demand for electricity and water steadily mounts with the increase in population and development. Plans for keeping abreast to ensure that consumer needs are met are being constantly reviewed.

The official opening of the Pasir Panjang Power Station on 15th October this year marked the completion of Phase One of the project when 120 megawatts were added to the generating capacity. By the end of 1966, there will be an increase of a further 120 megawatts, when Phase Two of the Power Station is completed.

The gathering momentum of the State's industrial progress has necessitated the construction of a new power station for the Jurong Industrial Complex. Jurong Power Station will eventually provide an additional 480 mega-watts to meet industrial needs.

The Government's policy of rural electrification has resulted in 155 kampongs being supplied with electricity. Ten other supply schemes for kampongs are in hand whilst surveys have been carried out on an additional 97 projects.

The average consumption of water has likewise increased from 32 million gallons a day in 1949 to over 80 million gallons a day now and this figure steadily increases.

A new booster station, which aims at increasing the pumping capacity of MacRitchie Reservoir is nearing completion. Plans for increasing the domestic storage capacities of our reservoirs are also being actively pursued. In order to improve the storage capacity of Seletar Reservoir, a $23.6 million Seletar Dam is to be constructed shortly, with the aim of increasing the storage capacity from 100 million gallons to 4,500 million gallons.

Port Authority

The Statute implementing Government's intention to bring under one authority control of matters relating to shipping, navigation and port development became operative on 1st April, 1964. With the growing volume of sea traffic, expansion of port facilities to ensure quicker turn-round of shipping becomes imperative and the Port Authority is geared to achieve this.

The East Lagoon Development Scheme involving the reclamation of 40 acres of land and the construction of a breakwater and new berths at a cost of $50 million is well under way and reclamation work has reached an advanced stage. In the second phase of this scheme it is proposed to construct four more deep water berths, in addition to the four already constructed in Phase I.

The Authority has negotiated for a World Bank Loan of $45 million for major port development as well as for the purchase of craft and machines for speedy port handling. This loan from the World Bank is significant in that it underlines the viability of the Port undertakings, the credit-worthiness of the State and world confidence in Singapore's ability to achieve progress.

Tourism

The importance of the tourist trade in the economy of Singapore has increased with independence. Overseas publicity campaigns are being intensified with a view to winning tourists in S.E. Asia and the Pacific Areas. Overseas publicity has so far resulted in attracting a $30 million investment in tourist hotels in Singapore.

Plans are also under way to improve local tourist facilities with the object of developing the State into a major tourist centre of South-East Asia.