I REFER to the Forum page letter 'Stop demolishing to preserve our heritage' (ST, May 26).
We are heartened by Mr Ng Yew Ming's appreciation of Singapore's historic buildings and share his zeal in retaining the heritage to preserve our memories. Despite being a small city-state, the Urban Redevelopment Authority has conserved about 6,500 buildings over 20 years. By providing guidelines to owners, many old buildings have been adapted for modern uses.
Some of the conservation buildings are old and the structures are not able to support the new uses. For such buildings, we work closely with their owners to rebuild them to their original designs. One example of this are the two shophouses near Sturdee Road that Mr Ng mentioned. When the reconstruction is completed, the entire streetscape will be restored to its original beauty and it can be enjoyed by visitors.
While owners have to restore their conservation buildings according to our guidelines, we do not stipulate a timeframe for them to do so as this may be an undue burden on them. For the two conservation shophouses near Hindoo Road which Mr Ng also mentioned, the owners have boarded them up while they work through their restoration plans.
In Singapore, conservation is carried out as an integral part of planning. We strive to strike a fine balance between conserving old buildings and ensuring land for development needs. Not all buildings can be kept. The building opposite the Futsing Association (which was damaged by fire) is one of them. We thank Mr Ng for his feedback and for giving us the opportunity to clarify the situation.
Ler Seng Ann
Director (Conservation & Development Services)
Urban Redevelopment Authority
