SINGAPORE - The Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society has been awarded the tender for a plot of land at Fernvale Link for the development of a Chinese temple, four months after a new tender was called following controversy about a planned columbarium there.
The society put up a $6 million bid in the tender in August and beat three other bidders for the site in Sengkang. The tender results were posted on the Housing and Development Board's website on Tuesday (Oct 27).
The Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation Singapore submitted a bid of $4.58 million. The Lorong Koo Chye Sheng Hong Temple Association, a Taoist group, offered $3.88 million while the Peng Hong Association put in a bid of $3 million.
The 2,000 sq m plot of land was awarded originally to funeral service firm Life Corporation's subsidiary Eternal Pure Land, which planned to run both a Chinese temple and columbarium at the site.
However, the tender was cancelled in May after complaints that a commercial entity had been allowed to bid for a piece of land slated for religious development, as well as profit from the development of a columbarium.
When the re-tender was put up in June, there were new conditions in place stating that only religious groups were allowed to bid. Only registered societies, charities and non-profit companies could qualify.
