MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Housing

The target of the Second Five Year Housing Programme (1966-70) of the Housing and Development Board has been the building of 12,000 flats a year. This target has been more than achieved. However, in view of the continued demand for more public housing, both for rental and for sale to citizens, under the "Home Ownership Scheme", the Board plans to build up to 16,500 units per year for the remaining period of the Second Five Year Plan.

The Board at present manages some 100,000 housing units accommodating a quarter of our total population.

The biggest project now under development is Toa Payoh New Town. Approximately 8,000 units have already been completed. A further 7,000 units are under construction. Extensive sites have been cleared and the piling for more buildings is in progress. When this new town is completed in 1970 - 71, it will provide modern homes for more than 200,000 people with all the modern amenities for comfortable living.

More and more Housing Board flats will be offered for sale. The Government and the Housing and Development Board are working out new ways and means to enable as many sitting tenants as possible to buy their own homes.

The Housing Board has so far built 3 blocks of flatted factories - 2 blocks in Kallang Basin and one in Tiong Bahru. In consultation with the Economic Development Board, more flatted factories will be built in the next four years to accommodate labour intensive industries in or adjacent to housing estates. The demand for this type of flatted factories has been steadily growing because of its advantageous position next to large and convenient sources of labour from the housing estates in the neighbourhood.

Land Reclamation

The Republic's major land reclamation scheme along the East Coast is progressing satisfactorily. When completed in 1970 more than 1,000 acres of coastal land stretching from Bedok to Tanjong Rhu for about 6 miles will he added. Apart from the major coastal highway that has to be constructed, plans are now being examined to ensure the optimum usage of this land.

The other reclamation scheme at the Kallang Basin which entails the filling of the tidal swamp with earth from Toa Payoh will be completed in 1969. This will yield some 380 acres of land for industrial and housing development.

Work on one other reclamation scheme at Pasir Panjang adjacent to the Haw Par Villa is commencing. Several other schemes at Woodlands, Nicoll Highway, Bedok to Tanah Merah Besar are under detailed investigations.

Urban Renewal and Redevelopment

The entire Central Area of the City of about 1,700 acres has been divided into 17 precincts, grouped mainly in 2 localities in relation to the position North and South of the Singapore River. The plan is to redevelop the older parts of this whole Central Area systematically in stages over a period of years. Under the Second Five-Year Development Plan, an estimated total of $125 million will be spent on the development of the initial 2 precincts, referred to as N.l (Crawford) and S.1 (Outram). Work in these 2 precincts began in 1966 and is progressing smoothly. In Precinct N.l, 3 blocks of multi-storey flats and shops at Palembang Road have been completed and when occupied will transform the skyline of this once dilapidated area into a modern high rise centre. In Precinct 5.1, on the site of the old Outram Prison, 8 blocks of multi-storey flats and shops and another 4 blocks of lock-up shops are nearing completion.

However, the complete success of urban renewal includes substantial participation by the private sector in high quality buildings. To encourage and promote this, administrative changes and incentive measures have been introduced. For example, approved projects such as hotels, office buildings and luxury apartments in designated areas, will have property tax reduced to 12 per cent per annum for 20 years. In addition, a legislation will be re-introduced to enable genuine developers to recover their rent-controlled properties in designated areas for redevelopment. Tenants of these affected premises will be compensated fairly, and will be given adequate time to move to alternative accommodation which includes Housing and Development Board premises.

The sale of State lands by public tender of 14 strategic sites suitable for a wide range of projects from hotels, entertainment centres, floating restaurants to office buildings and shopping centres on attractive terms has resulted in 7 out of the 14 sites offered being sold. In addition, negotiations have now reached a stage where 3 more sites along the "Golden Mile" may soon be taken up for hotel development. Plans are now being made to release more State lands for private development to meet a wide range of high quality development.

Physical Planning and Building Control

The State and City Planning Project assisted by the United Nations Development Programme (Special Fund) has been launched and will operate for 4 years to produce comprehensive long-range land use and transportation plans which will provide proper guidance, and greater flexibility in the control and use of our scarce land resources. Whilst the long-range concept plans are being formulated by the technically skilled experts associated with the Project, the day-to-day control of land use and development is still subject to the Master Plan. The Planning Department and the Development Control Division of the Chief Building Surveyor's Department will ensure that plans for development are approved more expeditiously.

Administrative reforms to streamline control procedures will enable planning applications to be processed with the minimum of delay. Planners will review and relax wherever possible plot ratio and density controls so that our limited land area can be more intensively utilised, provided other planning criteria are satisfied, and developers are prepared to pay the requisite development charge.

Public Works

The traditional role of the Public Works Department as a Government agency for the maintenance of public buildings and the construction of bridges, roads, schools, clinics, etc, has to be widened to assume a more active role in providing suitable basic infrastructure for increased economic development. During the next 4 years the Public Works Department will execute an expanded programme of public works which will entail an additional expenditure of $250 million for 1968 - 70 over and above the current provision in the Second Five-Year Plan.

Singapore's major flood alleviation scheme at Bukit Timah after years of preparation was finally launched in 1967. When completed it will relieve the flooding in the Bukit Timah area by diverting waters into Sungei Ulu Pandan.

The increasing needs of the new housing estates and industries demand that the sewerage system be extended to cover an even more extensive area. Recent sewerage projects include Toa Payoh, Jurong, Kallang Basin and urban renewal areas.

Traffic problems continue to tax the wits of our transport and traffic planners and engineers. Short term measures include improvements made to existing road junctions and one-way traffic systems to facilitate smoother flow of traffic. As an intermediate term measure the Department is undertaking the construction of a number of flyovers and grade separated interchanges at major road junctions to ensure the smoother flow of heavy traffic. Main arterial roads have also been widened to provide for dual carriageways wherever it is possible to acquire land to do so. Long-term measures will continue to be studied, investigated and worked out in conjunction with the State and City Planning Project in order to lay down a comprehensive but flexible traffic plan for the future.

Two major road programmes to be implemented soon are: -

(1) the plan to construct a coastal highway along the East Coast reclaimed land linking traffic from the eastern sector of the Island to the City; and

(2) the plan for a Pan-Island Ex pressway connecting the Jurong Industrial Estate, the proposed Woodlands New Town, the Toa Payoh New Town and the Kallang Basin.

Parts of the Pan-Island Expressway are under construction and external loan will be sought to finance these two major highway projects.

Plans to make Singapore a Garden City, the cleanest and greenest in South-east Asia are being implemented assiduously. A Parks and Trees Division has been established within the Public Works Department. Improvement to the Botanic Gardens, the Van Kleef Aquarium and many of the Public Parks will be made. Some 15,000 trees of 50 varieties have been planted since June, 1967. Other projects to beautify our highways and other public thoroughfares, road circuses, open spaces, schools arid other public institutions are being pursued. The private sector will be encouraged to make a corresponding effort.

Primary Production and Urban and Rural Services

The provision of services and advice to our farmers enable them to increase their farm products and reduce production costs. Increasing productivity and reducing costs of production in the agricultural sector is a constant objective. Particular emphasis is on the promotion of intensive and diversified farming to make maximum use of our limited land resources.

As for the Fisheries Industry, the emphasis is on off-shore and deep-sea fishing. Considerable efforts are being made towards improving the system of fish landing, marketing and distribution as well as in the training of a new generation of fishermen for off-shore and deep-sea fishing. The construction of the Fisheries Wharf and Central Fish Auction Market at Jurong is a step in this direction as also is the establishment of the Fishing Training Institute with the assistance of the United Nations Development Programme at Changi.

The Jurong Abattoir, completed at a cost of about $6 million will ensure that the slaughter of sheep, cattle and pigs, meat handling and inspection will be run on modern assembly line system to achieve high hygienic standards. The export market for canned meat will be exploited.

The breeding of tropical and fancy fish as an industry to earn more foreign exchange is being encouraged and assisted. This industry can be carried out in any home as a part-time job for earning extra money. Horticulture, particularly the growing of orchids, for which our climatic conditions are ideal, will be assisted by research and new free flowering hybrids to take greater advantage of the export market.

The Urban and Rural Services Committee will continue to facilitate the supply of electricity and water in the rural areas and to provide better communication and drainage. As part of a special campaign water supplies are being laid direct to home in order that public standpipes can be removed.