More green spaces to be retained in Gillman Barracks, Maju Forest: Alvin Tan

SINGAPORE – More green spaces in Gillman Barracks and Maju Forest will be retained following public feedback on plans for the sites.

But this will mean fewer homes can be built there, Minister of State for National Development Alvin Tan told reporters on Aug 14.

“With the changes, we will have even more greenery in both areas than originally planned. We will work out exactly how much more, but we will have to accept that this means we can build fewer homes on both sites for fellow Singaporeans.”

Public feedback closed on Aug 6.

The authorities will continue to engage Singaporeans and aim to finalise the plans over the coming month, Tan said.

Initial plans for the sites retained 40 per cent of green spaces in Gillman Barracks and 35 per cent in Maju Forest, he added, noting that these were developed with the involvement of nature groups.

“The current plan was never final,” Tan said.

He added that nature groups asked for a wider central green corridor at Gillman Barracks for better connectivity to other green spaces such as Telok Blangah Hill Park, Labrador Nature Reserve and HortPark.

For Maju Forest, the groups have asked that the green corridor be widened to create a more continuous vegetated area for animals to forage. Nearby residents and the general public have also asked for more greenery to be retained.

“We will take these suggestions into consideration as we make the adjustments,” Tan said. He did not take questions from reporters.

Under the initial plans, about two-thirds of the 23ha Maju Forest along Sunset Way is proposed for public housing, with the remaining areas retained as wildlife refuges and ecological corridors.

Gillman Barracks, a former military site with heritage buildings off Alexandra Road, and part of the forest nearby had been proposed for a 40ha mixed-use residential neighbourhood with public and private housing. About 8ha of the site had been earmarked for green areas, which is currently around 20ha.

Nature Society Singapore president Leong Kwok Peng said he hoped that the authorities would retain two-thirds of Maju Forest, up from the current plan of one-third.

The freshwater stream in the northern part of the forest could be merged with green spaces in the south for a bigger forest, he said.

But even then, it could impact biodiversity negatively, he added.

The nature group was consulted for the initial plans released by the Housing Board on July 10.

Lester Tan, a member of the Nature Society Singapore’s conservation committee, had said that the 30m-wide ecological corridors initially proposed for Gillman Barracks could squeeze species that once had a large space to roam into a small corridor.

He added that HDB’s measure to keep about a third of Maju Forest was the “minimum compromise” to balance development and conservation.

Leong said the outpouring of sentiment for Maju Forest shocked him. “It’s quite heartening to see the youth and the MPs being very active and engaging the residents about it,” he said.

Tan told Parliament earlier in August that plans for the sites have not been finalised, but these areas need to be developed to meet Singapore’s housing needs over the next decade.

A total of 19 MPs had asked about a range of issues, including balancing housing needs with environmental preservation, the effectiveness of public feedback and the transparency of the planning process.

Singaporeans, especially those living near the affected areas, have raised concerns about the loss of the spaces they consider key to their neighbourhoods, with some crafting proposals, organising dialogues and petitioning their MPs to raise the issues in Parliament.

Sunset Way resident Carmen Tang, 50, said she was glad to hear that more of Maju Forest would be retained.

“Clementi is already quite densely populated, so it’s good to have more nature around,” said the supply planner. She added that she moved there 10 years ago for the nature and quiet environment.

“I thought the initial announcement was final, so I’m glad the Government is listening to feedback.”

Another resident, Low Guo Xiang, 43, said the area was windy and had a cooler temperature thanks to the forest.

“I was worried that these things, that we take for granted, would be gone,” said the software engineer. “It would be better if the whole forest is kept, but retaining more is better than nothing.”

Telok Blangah resident Jessica Boon, 39, said she hoped that more of the Gillman Barracks forest could be retained as some of the neighbourhood’s greenery – the site of the former Keppel Club – had already made way for the upcoming Berlayar estate.

“I really like this place because there is so much greenery and how quiet it is. I’d just be really upset if they have to take more down,” said Boon, who works in sales.