No current plans to designate Tagore forest as a nature reserve: Chee Hong Tat

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SINGAPORE – There are currently no plans to designate the Tagore forest as a nature reserve, Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat said on Sept 8.

He was responding to WP’s Kenneth Tiong (Aljunied GRC), who asked about the criteria the Government uses to decide whether an area should be set aside as a nature reserve and whether it would consider granting Tagore forest such protection.

Another five MPs also asked about land planning and decision-making for ecologically significant sites.

The forested site in the Lentor area is currently zoned for residential development. In 2024, a group of scientists and conservationists proposed that the authorities study the preservation of the plot due to the presence of rare wildlife, including a globally critically endangered monkey.

In his written reply, Chee said his ministry “adopts a science-based approach to prioritising what to conserve, and how we conserve, while strengthening our ecological system over time”.

He said designating a nature reserve involves considering its biodiversity, ecological value and importance to Singapore’s native wildlife. He added that these factors are weighed alongside other land-use needs.

Singapore currently has four nature reserves protected under the Parks and Trees Act. Nature reserves are protected areas for the conservation of Singapore’s biodiversity, and there are various measures to safeguard these spaces. For instance, entry to these areas is restricted to certain hours.

The Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment Nature Reserve were gazetted in 1990, while Labrador Nature Reserve and Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve were gazetted in 2002.

“These are assessed to be the most biodiverse areas in Singapore and are representative of Singapore’s native landscapes,” Chee said.

“They also safeguard a range of habitats and serve as strongholds for various endemic and threatened species.”

The minister said Singapore has set aside more than 7,800ha of green spaces, a figure that will increase to 8,800ha by 2035.

The green spaces include nature parks, which protect nature reserves from the effects of urbanisation, and linear green corridors that link major parks and nature areas.

The proposal to study Tagore forest with a view to designating it as a nature park was mooted in the 2024 Singapore Terrestrial Conservation Plan by nearly 40 scientists and conservationists. They said it is a crucial refuge for native wildlife such as the Raffles’ banded langur and Sunda pangolin.

Another report published in August by youth nature groups LepakInSG and Singapore Youth Voices for Biodiversity called for the site to be turned into a nature park.

In his reply, Chee said agencies take a comprehensive approach to planning new housing supply by accounting for demographic and socio-economic trends, prevailing market conditions and the supply of resale flats on the open market, to meet Singaporeans’ needs across different locations and time periods.

This includes providing housing near existing estates, as many Singaporeans, including young families, seniors and singles, want to continue living near their families for mutual care and support.

“It is not possible to predict future housing demand with 100 per cent accuracy as the key demand drivers have varying degrees of uncertainty,” Chee said.

“Nevertheless, we expect housing demand to remain strong in the near to medium term, due to strong household formation rates and decreasing household sizes.”

Chee said that to meet the housing needs and aspirations of Singaporeans, the Republic will continue to optimise its existing land to maintain a robust supply of public and private housing.

“Where feasible, we intensify land usage, co-locate facilities and make better use of under-utilised spaces,” he said.

“We will utilise suitable brownfield sites in the area as far as possible, if they are available within the required timeframe, before activating sites with greenery or heritage.”

WP’s Dennis Tan (Hougang) asked whether the Government would consider intensifying existing or planned low-density residential areas.

Chee said the Government does intensify low-density residential areas where it can by injecting high-density public housing into predominantly landed areas, such as Turf City.

“However, it is not practical to assume that we can meet the bulk of public housing supply through redevelopment of landed residential areas as this will require extensive acquisition of existing landed properties, as well as significant upgrading of transport and other essential infrastructure to support higher housing densities,” he said.

He also addressed a question from WP chief Pritam Singh (Aljunied GRC), who had filed a question on whether public housing supply could be met through the Selective En Bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS), which rebuilds older public housing estates.

Chee stressed that SERS can apply only to a small proportion of sites in certain parts of Singapore, adding that the Government has to be mindful of the disruption to residents who have to relocate when their flats undergo SERS.

“Hence, doing SERS alone will not be enough to meet our overall housing demand,” he said.

Chee added that an environmental impact assessment is conducted for proposed developments where there is potential for significant environmental impact, and the report is then used to develop mitigation measures.

“Today, Singapore is both a thriving global city and one of the greenest cities in the world,” he said.

“We got here by planning for development and nature together.”