Reply by SMS Desmond Lee in response to Adjournment Motion by MP Lim Biow Chuan (Mountbatten) on “Preserving our Heritage, Culture and Identity – Conserving Dakota Crescent”
Oct 10, 2016
Madam Speaker, I agree with Mr Lim Biow Chuan that it is important to protect our heritage buildings.
Some old buildings hold significant historical meaning.
Others may not be quite so historical, but they have become a part of many Singaporeans’ lives, and we have formed collective precious memories about such buildings and places.
If we can keep and protect these buildings, it can help build a deeper sense of identity and rootedness for Singapore and Singaporeans.
In masterplanning our land-scarce City-State, our planners have many considerations to address.
We have to provide for housing.
We need to cater land for medical facilities, schools, religious buildings, sports stadia and other social and civic amenities.
Space is needed for economic purposes, because they generate jobs and opportunities for Singaporeans.
Traffic needs to flow and people need to move about.
We want to set aside land for nature reserves, parks and greenery as a City in a Garden.
And the list goes on.
Given our tight constraints, the need to redevelop and rejuvenate our city will always be present.
But increasingly, the challenge we have to throw ourselves is whether we can keep our city vibrant and dynamic and cater to Singaporeans needs, while retaining that sense of time and space, that feeling of familiarity and nostalgia even amid rapid change.
In short, can we develop without sacrificing our identity and heritage? And can we conserve without stalling progress and change?
The answer, I think, must lie in striking the right balance, between preserving our past, and catering to the needs of the present and the future. MND is very mindful of this balance. When we do our work, our focus is not just to plan and build new infrastructure, but to undertake development in a way that is sensitive to nature and our past, and builds stronger emotional connection with our city.
That is why, over the years, we have placed more emphasis on the conservation of buildings as an integral part of our urban master plan. For example:
We have conserved large areas such as the Historic Districts of Chinatown, Kampong Glam, Little India and Singapore River.
We have retained several pre-World War II residential flats in Tiong Bahru, built by the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT).
We have also conserved many historical buildings which are representative of our rich architectural heritage and bear testimony to the history and development of Singapore, such as the Queenstown Public Library and the key buildings of the Alexandra Hospital.
This process of identifying buildings and sites for conservation is an extensive and rigorous one. It is not just based on nostalgic or sentimental value alone, but importantly we take into account the historical and heritage significance of the buildings, as well as their architectural merit.
We also involve many stakeholders in the process.
MND and URA take in feedback from our Conservation Advisory Panel members, local community groups and also members of the public.
In addition, NHB has recently embarked on a tangible heritage survey to build on NHB’s existing database of heritage resources.
i. This survey includes research and documentation of buildings and sites of historic or cultural interest found in Singapore and completed in and before 1980.
ii. This will also allow us to be better informed when drawing up future land-use plans
Even after deciding to conserve a building, much research and documentation work will still need to be carried out. In particular, URA will study how the building can be adapted for re-use and contribute meaningfully to the plans for the larger area, while being sensitive to the history of the conserved building. As far as possible, we look for ways to enhance the overall heritage value of the place.
One example is Balestier – a key identity node because of its strong heritage value and distinctive old world charm.
The area is rich in history, and home to an interesting mix of conserved pre- and post-war shophouses, and the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, a National Monument.
So when a parcel of State land at Balestier was sold in 2008 for a hotel development, the sales conditions included requirements for the developer to provide a public park at the entrance to the Sun Yat-Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall.
The unique hotel-park development synergises with the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall and the surrounding heritage shophouses, adding to the vibrancy of the larger Balestier area.
Today, the area continues to be bustling with people visiting the heritage buildings, Zhongshan Park as the new park is called, and going to the area for lighting and hardware shops, and of course not forgetting to enjoy the famous "Tau Sar Piah" or "Bak Kut Teh".
I highlight this example because heritage conservation work does not stop when buildings are gazetted and protected. Otherwise, they risk collecting dust and melting into obscurity. The intangible dimensions of our heritage are, in fact, also an important part of our shared identity, and provide a link between the past and the present.
Intangible cultural heritage can refer to the festivals we celebrate, and the diverse aspects of our traditions and culture.
These cultural expressions of living heritage are history in the making. They not only provide an emotional connection to the past, but also serve as inspiration and anchors for the future.
At the same time, building owners also have a part to play in conservation.
When we started out in the 1980s, many building owners did not see the value of conservation and they had to be persuaded quite hard to conserve their buildings.
It was seen as a burden with additional cost, hurting their property rights, and many were reluctant to do so.
Now we are seeing a change of mindset, and increasingly more owners are becoming more receptive to the idea of conserving their buildings.
Our collective efforts at conserving and revitalising our built heritage have slowly gained recognition at the international level.
Since 2001, a number of restoration projects in Singapore have been conferred UNESCO Asia-Pacific Cultural Heritage Conservation Awards. These recognise and encourage public-private initiatives in restoring structures of heritage value in the region.
URA’s conservation programme was also conferred the distinguished Urban Land Institute 2006 Global Award for Excellence in recognition of its achievements.
Last year, Singapore’s oldest Teochew temple, the Yueh Hai Ching temple, which was established in 1826, also received the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Cultural Heritage Conservation Award of Merit.
And of course, we witnessed the inscription of the Singapore Botanic Gardens as Singapore’s first UNESCO World Heritage site.
So we have come a long way in our conservation journey. It has not been easy; there have been hits-and-misses, and we need to do a lot more work on the road ahead.
Not many Singaporeans realise this, but there are more than 70 national monuments and 7,000 conserved buildings in Singapore today.
Going forward we will continue to add to this list and expand our heritage spaces, even as we strive to transform our city to meet our future needs.
In the case of Dakota Crescent, we recognize that the area holds special memories for many people who grew up there. Even for people who have not lived there before, they look at Dakota Crescent and either see flashbacks to their own childhood past, or for younger Singaporeans they see it as a peek into our past.
And that is why NHB has worked on several initiatives to commemorate the heritage of Dakota Crescent.
For example, NHB commissioned a research project in April last year to document the history of the Dakota Crescent area, including key community landmarks and buildings of architectural interest.
NHB is also working on a video documentary of the estate, which will be uploaded on NHB’s heritage portal, Roots.sg.
Community groups have also been active in their efforts to commemorate Dakota Crescent by collecting individual memories, conducting tours and documenting the history of the estate.
Beyond these efforts, our planners are open to look at the different ways in which the area can be redeveloped and rejuvenated, while retaining its distinctive identity and character.
I understand that the residents and the heritage community who are passionate about conserving Dakota Crescent have been working on some proposals. We look forward to receiving these suggestions, and will continue to engage the various groups closely to come up with a plan that is sensitive to the character of Dakota, while keeping our eye to the future.