CANCELLATION OF PLANNING PERMISSION BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

4.17 p.m

The Minister for Law and National Development (Mr E. W. Barker): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

Hon. Members will recall that Government made a policy statement on the 10th of September last year and announced certain measures which it proposed to take to curb excessive speculation in land and property and to check the steep rise in their values. One such measure was that all planning approvals granted but on which no attempt had been made to get on with the work would be cancelled unless there was a firm contract for construction work between owner and building contractor signed on or before the 10th of September last year or the owner/developer had signed binding contracts for the sale of residential properties with purchasers. In order to implement the above decision, it was necessary to cancel all planning approvals granted before 10th September, 1973, under section 9 of the Planning Act. These would otherwise be valid for a period of two years by virtue of subsection (8) of section 9 of the Act. There were, in all, 329 cases of development affected by this policy. Planning permission for 270 cases have since been restored.

It is also necessary to treat as cancelled all planning permission granted before 1st February, 1960, under section 61 of the Singapore Improvement Ordinance, and those granted between 1st February, 1960, and 12th December, 1965, under the 1959 Planning Ordinance if no work had been carried out by 10th September, 1973. Although sections 10 and 11 of the present Planning Act empower the Competent Authority to cancel such planning permission, there was no provision in the Singapore Improvement Ordinance or the 1959 Planning Ordinance to allow planning permission to lapse automatically after three years if no development took place. Clauses 3 and 4 of the Bill provide for cancellation of any planning permission granted before 11th September, 1973, including any granted under section 61 of the Singapore Improvement Ordinance if no construction work had commenced before that date.

Clause 5 provides for the exemption of certain categories of planning permission from cancellation, such as minor alterations and additions to existing buildings and housing development involving not more than four residential units.

Clause 6 empowers the Minister to restore in his discretion any permission cancelled upon such conditions, as he sees fit to impose. It is necessary to make the Act operative as from the 11th day of September last year. This is so provided in clause 1.

Sir, I beg to move.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House.

The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill.-[Mr Barker].

Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed.