Singapore to retain green spaces as city grows

PM says conservation and development can go together; fifth and longest nature way soon

By Robin Chan And Audrey Tan, The Sunday Times, 1 Dec 2013

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday gave his pledge to keep green places in Singapore even as the city continues to be developed, insisting that conservation and development can go together.

He made this commitment at the opening of the Singapore Botanic Gardens Heritage Museum, where he shared personal memories that showed his affection for nature and the Gardens, and also highlighted the Government's vision to have more park land and new green routes connecting communities and places all across Singapore.

"We may not be able to have such large parks like the Istana all over Singapore, and also we can't afford to preserve every single green patch on this little island," he said, referring to the grounds of the Istana where his office is, and which is home to a variety of trees, shrubs and wildlife.

"But we are determined that we will leave green lungs and natural spaces all over the city as we build our city. We can do that and we will do that. Then our people can always be in touch with nature, never far from green spaces and blue waters."

In line with the commitment to greening, Singapore will get its fifth and longest "nature way" early next year, he said.

Tengah Nature Way will be a route planted with specific trees and shrubs to help the movement of birds, butterflies and small animals, and it will connect the Bukit Timah and Central Catchment Nature Reserves, in the centre of Singapore, with the Safti Live Firing Area out west.

The 12.8km route will be longer than the other four existing ones at Admiralty, Kheam Hock, Tampines and Yishun, which are all part of plans to have 60km of such nature ways by 2015.

While not yet finalised, the route will run along the Bukit Batok estate including Old Jurong Road and Bukit Batok West Avenues 2, 3 and 5.

The public will get a chance to plant trees on the new nature way starting from early next year.

PM Lee noted that Singapore's greening efforts have been going on for 50 years, since the first Tree Planting Day in 1963, which was followed by integrating parks and green spaces into the housing estates and developing a sustainable Singapore blueprint.

And as it moves on to its next phase to become a "city in a garden", Singapore will have 900 more hectares of park land across the country, or two times the size of Toa Payoh town, he said.

"We will be connecting our communities and places where we live through parks, garden, streetscapes and skyrise greenery. So green streets, green lungs, green buildings," he said.

These parks will not be passive green areas, but will be focal points for the community, hosting cultural performances, nature tours and other activities.

Singapore's rapid development as a city-state has often raised concerns about the preservation of nature, and participants from varied backgrounds lamented what they believed to be the prioritisation of economic over environmental issues at a separate Our Singapore Conversation event on green spaces yesterday.

The theme of conservation and development being able to go hand in hand was therefore a key message that emerged from the four-hour discussion organised by the Nature Society (Singapore) and Young NTUC.

One group suggested that development could take place in already built-up areas in the south, so that existing green areas located further up north, such as Bidadari, could be retained for their biodiversity.

Said Ms Dorothy Ng, 33, who works in communications: "I think that conservation and development need not be contradictory."

A bigger Botanic Gardens in 2016
By Robin Chan, The Sunday Times, 1 Dec 2013

The Singapore Botanic Gardens is a "little jewel in the middle of the city" which must be expanded and nurtured, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday.

As he opened the Singapore Botanic Gardens Heritage Museum, PM Lee laid out the many plans the Government has for the Gardens, which include expanding it and adding new attractions.

"We have a little, beautiful jewel in the middle of our city for us to enjoy and treasure, develop and improve. So we have to continue to expand and nurture the Botanic Gardens, to make sure it remains a beautiful landmark for generations to come," he said.

The Gardens will be increased by a sixth in size to about 74ha, after the merger of a 9.8ha plot of state land across Tyersall Avenue. This new area will be called the

Tyersall Learning Forest.

While the expansion was originally slated for completion in 2015 after a one-year delay, PM Lee said yesterday it is now being targeted for completion in 2016.

The Straits Times understands it is related to plans for a stormwater detention pond under a carpark at the extension.

The Jacob Ballas Children's Garden will also be doubled in size to 4ha, and a new Ethnobotany Garden will be planted to showcase how plants were used in the past.

The Prime Minister also shared personal memories of the Gardens, which he said is a place he has been going to since he was a child, and continues to go to today.

He called on Singaporeans to get involved in public consultations as the Gardens prepares for its bid to be a Unesco World Heritage site. "I hope Singaporeans participate fully and support this national effort, and get us onto the list."

Post by Lee Hsien Loong.

PM's happy memories

"It is so good to see many Singaporeans and their families enjoying Botanic Gardens. It is one of our favourite places, and mine too. So many happy memories over a lifetime.

As a child, my parents would bring me here for outings. Later, when I was a young man courting my wife-to-be, we would come here for walks and talks.

Then when we had kids, our whole family would come and enjoy ourselves here - jogging in the evening, carrying lanterns during Lantern Festival around the lake at night, or playing with the Swiss Ball Fountain.

The children have now grown up, but my wife and I still come for walks here regularly for the greenery and the waters. And I know that many Singaporeans have similarly happy memories of this place."

PM LEE, on Botanic Gardens

The SBG Heritage Museum and CDL Green Gallery are now officially open! Come on down to the Singapore Botanic Gardens and...
Posted by Singapore Botanic Gardens on Friday, November 29, 2013

Admiralty destination park to open in 2015
S'pore Botanic Gardens to launch museum, gallery today
By Feng Zengkun, The Straits Times, 30 Nov 2013

CHILDREN will be able to play on one-of-a-kind giant slides at Admiralty Park when it reopens in 2015 as Singapore's first "destination park".

Two other parks, at Jurong Lake and East Coast, which are part of this new park concept, will also boast unique features when they reopen in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

The new East Coast Park will get distinctive beach-themed play sculptures, while visitors will be able to "island-hop" between nature playgrounds at the redesigned Jurong Lake Park.

The National Parks Board (NParks) gave this update yesterday at a media preview of additions to the Singapore Botanic Gardens. The destination park concept was announced last year by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong as part of the vision to turn Singapore into a "city in a garden".

The three parks were selected for redevelopment due to their locations in northern, eastern and western Singapore. They are expected to become regional hubs that attract residents from all over the island because they have features not usually found in public parks here. The NParks has said that more parks may be turned into destination parks if the public calls for more of them.

Artist's impressions of the three parks form part of the "Living in a Garden" exhibition, which runs from today to June at the Botanic Gardens. It celebrates Singapore's 50 years of greenery efforts. The exhibition will be housed at a new gallery developed by the City Developments (CDL) property group. PM Lee will officially open the gallery and a new heritage museum today.

The 314 sq m CDL Green Gallery will feature botanical and greenery-related exhibits that are changed every six to nine months. It was built with several eco-friendly technologies, including "hempcrete", a type of construction material made largely from the hemp plant.

It also draws enough power from solar panels for all its needs, making it energy self-sufficient.

The 240 sq m museum will detail the gardens' 154-year history. It features interactive panels, old photographs, plant specimens and botanical paintings that date back to the early 19th century.

NParks chief executive Poon Hong Yuen said: "Through the exhibits, we hope more Singaporeans will better appreciate our green heritage."

Both are mentioned in the gardens' proposed application to be Singapore's first Unesco World Heritage Site. These are cultural or natural attractions deemed by the United Nations body to have outstanding universal value.

According to the application documents, the museum provides information about the gardens' values, while the green gallery is an example of its "sustainability ethos". Singapore will submit its nomination by next February.








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