MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

MR S DHANABALAN Minister for National Development

MND will improve the quality of housing, roads, infrastructure and recreational facilities in Singapore through judicious planning and use of our limited land resources.

Planning and Developing a City of Excellence

2. The Ministry published the final draft of the Concept Plan in September 1991. The Plan safeguards sufficient land for infrastructure, new commercial complexes, business parks and industrial estates to support our economic growth. It also sets aside land for housing and other social amenities, to give Singaporeans a better living and working environment. We will preserve areas which reflect our distinctive social history and architectural styles.

3. We will develop the islands of Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong. In the next 5 years, we will begin reclamation work to enlarge the islands. Pulau Ubin will be linked to Pulau Tekong by a bridge. The two islands will be connected to the mainland by tunnels or bridges. We will use the islands for recreational purposes, until we need to develop new towns on them to accommodate a larger population.

4. To make the Concept Plan more useful to developers, URA will prepare Development Guide Plans (DGPs) for 51 local areas. URA will complete 9 DGPs in 1992 and the rest by 1995. The DGPs will show the development potential of specific areas, such as Tanjong Rhu, Simpang and future HDB new towns.

Housing

5. HDB will build more flats for new households as well as those moving up to bigger and better units. Existing flats in older estates will be progressively refurbished and improved under the Upgrading Programme, to match the standards of the newer estates. HDB will launch demonstration projects in six precincts later this year. The upgrading Programme will be extended to other precincts over the next 10 to 15 years.

6. HDB will invite private architects and developers to "design and build" its flats. Over the next 3 years, HDB will award "design and build" contracts for some 3,000 units in the Tampines New Town. This will produce more varied designs for public housing, and give Singaporeans a wider choice of affordable housing.

7. More State land will be sold to the private sector to develop condominiums and landed properties. This will enable more people to buy such properties.

8. 80% of HDB occupants own the flats they live in. To give more families an opportunity to own their homes, HDB will give financial help to low income families to buy 3-room resale flats.

9. Eventually most rental flats will be 2-room units. HDB will improve the fittings and furnishes in rental flats, to help the minority who cannot afford to buy their own flats or who need transitional housing.

10. HDB will sell tenanted shops in HDB estates to existing tenants at appropriate discounts from the market price.

Construction

11. CIDB will continue to improve the productivity and quality of our construction workforce. It will build a new training centre at Bishan, and expand and upgrade its training and trade testing facilities. It will organise more training courses for professionals at the Centre for Advanced Construction Studies at NTU.

Roads

12. Over the next 5 years, PWD will spend $2 billion to expand the capacity of the road network. It will build 540 lane-km of new roads. This includes widening 20 existing roads, building 14 new roads and expressways, and 35 new interchanges, flyovers or underpasses.

13. To improve traffic flow without consuming more land, PWD will construct more underground roads to expand the road capacity in the Central Area, and extend the computerized traffic control system to more areas outside the city.

14. PWD will build more walkways and integrate them with the public transport system. By the end of 1992, 13 MRT stations will be linked by covered walkways to adjacent bus interchanges. PWD will complete the walkway programme along Orchard Road by 1992 and the walkway upgrading programme in the Civic District by 1995.

Parks

15. PRD will spend $66.5 million over the next 5 years to develop new parks and upgrade existing parks. It will connect the parks up with green links, for Singaporeans to jog or cycle from one park to another.

16. National Parks Board will develop the Botanic Gardens into a premier equatorial botanic garden for botany and horticulture.

Primary Production

17. PPD will continue to ensure a stable and adequate supply of safe, wholesome meat, fish and vegetables in Singapore by diversifying sources of supply and maintaining high standards of food hygiene and safety.

18. PPD will develop more agro-technology parks to make efficient use of farmland for intensive and high-tech farming. This will help Singapore become an agro-technology service centre for tropical agriculture.