The public can view environmental impact assessments which are gazetted and available for viewing. Senior Minister of State for National Development Tan Chuan-Jin said this in response to questions by Nominated Member of Parliament Faizah Jamal and Non-Constituency MP Mr Yee Jenn Jong during the Singapore Budget 2013 on Monday.

The assessments show what the environmental impact of new development projects. Agencies involved in major development projects must conduct an environmental impact assessment, especially when they are near to sensitive areas such as nature reserves, nature areas and maritime and coastal areas, added Mr Tan.

For example, the recent Land Use Plan indicates several areas that might undergo reclamation and firm decisions are only taken after assessments are conducted.

The government will then examine whether the project can go ahead and if potential impacts can be mitigated.

However as such assessments are time- and resource-intensive, they should not be performed for all developments, Mr Tan noted.

Besides said Mr Tan, green areas zoned for housing and other developments are not as rich in biodiversity as nature reserves and nature areas.