Demolishing 38 Oxley Road now will rule out options: Edwin Tong
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A study will be conducted by NHB’s Preservation of Sites and Monuments Advisory Board, which comprises experts from various sectors.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO FILE
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SINGAPORE – Allowing Mr Lee Hsien Yang to carry out immediate demolition works at 38 Oxley Road would “straightaway rule out options which can be considered”, said Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong.
In a Facebook post on Oct 24, Mr Tong said: “We do not think that any option should be precluded, or closed off, at this stage.”
Mr Lee, the younger son of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, is the current owner of 38 Oxley Road, and on Oct 21 had applied to the authorities for permission to demolish the house.
To demolish it, he requires approval for building works from the Building and Construction Authority, as well as planning permission from the Urban Redevelopment Authority.
Mr Tong noted that 38 Oxley Road has been the subject of some discussion recently, following the death of Dr Lee Wei Ling.
Dr Lee, Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s daughter, died on Oct 9 at the age of 69. Her death has left the house uninhabited. Mr Lee Kuan Yew started renting the one-storey bungalow in the mid-1940s, purchased it in 1965, and lived there until his death in 2015.
Mr Tong said: “There is, quite understandably, a range of different views amongst Singaporeans on the matter.
“It is important that we approach the matter with an open mind, as well as keep our options open. The passage of time will help us better appreciate the matter in its proper context, with the benefit of some hindsight.”
On Oct 24, the National Heritage Board (NHB) announced that it would embark on a study
Mr Tong said: “If a preservation order is made, all options will remain open, and this will give the Government time to consider the different options identified in the ministerial committee report, or any other option.”
A preservation order designates a building or a site as a national monument, and restricts the changes that can be made to it.
Mr Tong, who is also Second Minister for Law, said the study will be done by NHB’s Preservation of Sites and Monuments (PSM) advisory board, comprising experts from various sectors.
Public officers, however, will recuse themselves from the study as NHB is seeking independent assessment of whether the site is suitable for preservation, NHB said.
The advisory board has 13 members, comprising architects, academics and senior public servants such as Associate Professor Albert Lau from the National University of Singapore’s history department; chief executive of the Singapore Land Authority Colin Low; and co-founder of Liu & Wo Architects, Madam Wo Mei Lan.
“They will carefully assess the merits, if any, of such preservation, and make their professional recommendations,” Mr Tong said.
In 2018, a ministerial committee led by Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean recommended three options for the house,
In its report, the committee noted that the house was “where meetings took place that led to the formation of the first independent government for Singapore, and altered the destiny of the country”.
The basement dining room is of particular significance, as it was where the ruling People’s Action Party was formed in 1954.
In a Facebook post on Oct 24 after NHB’s announcement, Mr Lee Hsien Yang questioned the need for further study on the house.
Referring to a report by the statutory board that he linked to in his post, he said: “In 2018, NHB did thorough study, and submitted this 31-page report of their study to the ministerial committee. No doubt much research went into that study. Why the need to study further now?”
In response to queries, NHB said thorough research was conducted for the site and included in the 2018 ministerial committee report. “This research will also be used by the PSM advisory board in their careful deliberation and assessment of the site,” it said, adding that the assessment will take several weeks.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated for clarity.
The basement dining room at 38 Oxley Road, photographed in October 2011. This was where the founding members of the People’s Action Party discussed setting up a new party.
PHOTO: ST FILE
