Speech by Minister Desmond Lee at Gardens by the Bay 10th Anniversary Celebration on 9 Nov in Flower Field Hall

Nov 9, 2022

Thank you for joining us today on this very special occasion, as we celebrate Gardens by the Bay’s 10^th anniversary.

Gardens by the Bay – a People’s Garden

When the idea to establish our second national garden was seeded more than a decade ago, it was a bold and ambitious one. We wanted to transform prime land right in the heart of our city into a lush, green space for Singaporeans to enjoy. We also envisioned that the garden would be a world-class horticultural attraction that would be a draw for visitors.

Ten years on, Gardens by the Bay has become one of the world’s top horticultural destinations, welcoming more than 89 million visitors from around the world to-date. Our Supertrees are now an iconic part of our city skyline – Instagram bears that out. The Flower Dome and Cloud Forest tell a compelling story about innovation too, where we reversed the traditional greenhouse to instead become cooled conservatories that showcase temperate and montane plants in the tropics.

Indeed, many Singaporeans and visitors visit the Gardens every year to catch the popular floral displays such as cherry blossoms, tulips, and a lot more! These efforts show how, here in Singapore, we can make the impossible possible, when we set our sights on the next frontier, and work closely together to pursue our goals.

The finale floral display of 2022, Seasons of Bloom, will be launched later this morning. It will not only celebrate the Christmas season, but also pay tribute to different seasons of flowers from around the world that Gardens by the Bay has brought to Singapore.

I would like to echo Chairman Mr Niam Chiang Meng’s earlier thanks to our many friends from around the world and many missions who work closely with us to bring your flowers and plants to showcase here in the Gardens.

Since its beginning, Gardens by the Bay has sought to be a People’s Garden – a place that everyone can enjoy. I am sure many of us would be familiar with its signature events such as Christmas Wonderland, the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the Children’s Festival. Many of them do not charge entry, to ensure that the Gardens remains accessible to all Singaporeans.

The team has also worked hard to improve the Gardens and keep improving it year on year. Since its opening, the number of attractions has increased, with the opening of the Far East Organisation Children’s Garden, the Supertree Observatory, and Floral Fantasy, just to name a few.

The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us of how important it is to have green spaces in our city, and the Gardens has been able to provide people much needed respite. Despite the challenges over the last few years, the team worked hard to keep the Gardens delightful and attractive to Singaporeans. Gardens by the Bay attracted 8.3 million local resident visitors last year, its highest local visitorship ever.

Now that international border restrictions have eased and travel has resumed, we are seeing more tourists visit Singapore, including attractions such as the Gardens. And I am happy that Gardens by the Bay has embarked on new initiatives to bring the Gardens even closer to people from all walks of life.

On this note, I am pleased to announce that Gardens by the Bay will be partnering the Ministry of Social and Family Development to offer complimentary one-year Friends of the Gardens membership to lower-income families under MSF’s Community Link, or ComLink, initiative, beginning with families living in rental flats in Kreta Ayer and Bukit Merah from January 2023. This will allow them to enjoy unlimited visits to the Flower Dome with their loved ones and be part of our Gardens’ 10^th birthday celebrations.

Advancing its Environmental Sustainability Efforts

As it plans for its future, Gardens by the Bay will also be stepping up its sustainability efforts significantly. From the start, the Gardens was designed to be environmentally sustainable, with green features incorporated into its cooled conservatories, Supertrees and lake system.  

To achieve its net zero aspirations, Gardens by the Bay is developing a carbon reduction roadmap, which will be ready next year. Part of the plan is to expand the mix of renewable energy options. For example, Gardens by the Bay will deploy more solar panels on existing structures. Projections show that doing so could provide the Gardens with electricity equivalent to the annual energy consumption of about 2,300 four-room HDB flats!

In addition, it is exploring the feasibility of having a second renewable energy plant on site to contribute to its carbon reduction efforts. This second plant could potentially open up to visitors, such as through an educational component on the importance of sustainability and climate action.

In the more immediate term, Gardens by the Bay has collaborated with Keppel Care Foundation to launch a series of sustainability tours. These tours will run on weekends and will be free for local residents. The tours will showcase sustainable design and biodiversity conservation efforts, such as at our Kingfisher Wetlands. If you would like to preview this tour, please sign up at the back and join in after this morning’s festivities.

Development of Bay East Garden and the Founders’ Memorial

We will continue to write our Gardens’ story in the years ahead.

As many of you already know, the Bay East Gardens is currently being developed into a waterfront garden for the community, in tandem with the construction of the Founders’ Memorial. Bay East Gardens will trace the evolution of Singapore from a Garden City to a City in a Garden to a City in Nature. It will tell Singapore's Garden City and Water Story, with ‘green’ and ‘blue’ elements embedded in its designs.

As part of the Bay East Garden development project, Gardens by the Bay is also exploring the possibility of a bridge to connect Bay South to Bay East. This will enable our visitors to enjoy what both Gardens have to offer.

Appreciating the efforts of many

Gardens by the Bay is what it is today because of the efforts of so many people, some of whom are here with us today.

As Chairman Mr Niam Chiang Meng mentioned earlier, we are delighted to have some of our MND alumni with us today: Mr Mah Bow Tan, Mr Khaw Boon Wan and DPM Lawrence Wong, who are my predecessors who helmed MND, ground-broke, worked with the team to conceptualise and oversaw Gardens’ development. Today, we carry on that stewardship responsibility.

And with Madam President as our patron of Gardens by the Bay’s community outreach programme Gift of Gardens, I believe the Gardens is in good hands to extend all that it has to offer to the less privileged in our community.

I would like to thank my colleagues at Gardens by the Bay who have worked hard over the years to ensure that the Gardens continues to grow and flourish for the enjoyment of everyone; and also Mrs Theresa Foo, our immediate past chairman who so lovingly brought this project forward along with all of us; and Dr Kiat Tan who loves plants and brings the green touch to our Gardens.

To our partners,  sponsors and donors, as well as all our volunteers, I would like also to extend our deepest appreciation for your efforts and dedication.

Of course, Gardens by the Bay would not be where it is today ten years on without the strong support of Singaporeans and the wider community. My colleagues at the Gardens will tell you that the outpouring of love from Singaporeans and the community during the pandemic was what kept them going in the last two years.

In closing, I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations to everyone at Gardens by the Bay on this very important and significant milestone, and we all look forward to a bright future for the Gardens in the next decade and beyond.