MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

MR S DHANABALAN Minister for National Development

MND will strive to improve the quality of housing, roads, infra-structure and recreational facilities in Singapore. This will require judicious planning and innovative ideas for using our limited land resources. Housing

The HDB will continue to build better housing to meet the desire of Singaporeans for more pleasant living. It will release more land in HDB estates for private residential developments. It will upgrade its old estates to bring them to the standards of new estates, and closer to those found in private residential developments.

HDB has introduced a new booking system to enable it to build according to committed demand by applicants. Increasingly, prices of flats will reflect construction and land costs, and take into account buyers' preferences for locality, design and orientation, as in private developments. HDB will also simplify some of its rules and regulations.

By 1991, the Town Council system will be well-established. Town Councils will give all HDB residents a say in the running of their estates. They will participate in the comprehensive upgrading of precincts, help make physical improvements to housing estates, and implement community projects. These changes will improve social and community relations in housing estates.

Planning and Developing a City of Excellence

The Ministry started the review of the Concept Plan in 1988. The revised plan should be completed by early 1991. It will safeguard land for major developments and guide the physical development of Singapore.

URA will involve the private sector in its planning. Private sector architects are preparing detailed Development Guide Plans at Kampong Bugis and Simpang. In addition, URA will ask private sector architects to propose new ideas on housing forms and planning standards.

The Ministry will place greater emphasis on the quality of the environment. It has formed a Water-bodies Design Panel to ensure that waterways and canals are aesthetically designed, and reclamation profiles are made more interesting. Where possible, waterways and canals will be used for recreation.

The Ministry will release a steady supply of state land to the private sector, and announce in advance the annual programme of sale of sites.

URA will continue to take the lead in the conservation of historic districts, and in creating a distinctive identity for the Civic District.

Roads

PWD will improve the road network to support a reasonable growth in the vehicle population. It will build new roads and expressways to new areas, besides widening and upgrading existing roads and expressways. It will build more interchanges to relieve bottlenecks at road junctions, and traffic tunnels to carry through traffic under the city. It will extend the computerised traffic management and information system to areas outside the Central Area to improve traffic flow. It will design pedestrian walkways to integrate them with public transport systems.

Parks

PRD will develop parks with diverse themes and character, to serve the different recreational needs of the people. It will build green corridors to connect parks and integrate them into a park network system.

The new National Parks Board will tap the full potential of the Botanic Gardens, Fort Canning Park and the Nature Reserves.

Construction

CIDB will encourage the construction industry to improve quality and productivity. It will introduce incentives for contractors to upgrade through mechanisation, to introduce better construction management, and to raise the skill levels of workers.

We will introduce legislation to encourage the formation and growth of large multi-discipline consultancy firms to provide comprehensive services. Primary Production

PPD will maximise the productivity of our limited agricultural land by developing agro-technology parks. Pig farming will be completely phased out by the end of 1990.