‘Nothing is cast in stone’: MPs pledge to raise concerns over Maju Forest, Gillman Barracks

SINGAPORE – Plans for the development of Maju Forest and Gillman Barracks can still change, Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC MP David Hoe told members of the public on Aug 1.

He was speaking at a talk concerning the trade-offs between nature and development, after studies of the two forested sites released on July 10 sparked petitions and dialogues organised separately by the community and several MPs.

About 80 people attended the Aug 1 event, hosted by Young PAP advisers Hoe and Lee Hui Ying, at EtonHouse International School Orchard.

During the session, attendees questioned the transparency of housing demands that led to the development plans, the duration of the window for feedback, and whether the social value of these areas had been adequately studied.

Acknowledging their concerns, Hoe, whose Clementi ward is near Maju Forest, told participants that a parliamentarian’s role is to act as a middleman, representing the community’s diverse perspectives, including those that might otherwise be overlooked.

He noted that at a July 30 dialogue organised by Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Rachel Ong, one of the “elephants in the room” was whether public feedback would actually be taken seriously.

On how plans for both developments could still change, he said: “I say that because nothing is cast in stone, there is still time for change, and we believe that with more information, things can happen.”

Hoe said one view he had not previously considered until the Aug 1 event was a suggestion for the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment to be involved during the development of forests in Singapore.

Hoe and Lee are members of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Sustainability and the Environment.

He noted, however, that the eventual outcome of the parliamentary debate on the developments would require trade-offs that might not satisfy everyone.

Meanwhile, Lee told participants she intends to call for greater transparency regarding Singapore’s future developments.

The Nee Soon GRC MP said: “This is my personal view that our population has grown to be a much more sensible population today than maybe 50 years ago.

“So, I think we are ready and we are prepared to read up, to understand a bit better about the considerations, the trade-offs and the opportunity cost involved for certain developments that we are doing in Singapore.”

Hoe told The Straits Times the event was open to the public as the MPs wanted to hear feedback from all Singaporeans.

Nanyang Technological University student Ruth Tan, 19, who is studying policy and current affairs, said she attended the talk to learn more about the deforestation plans and the considerations made before such policies were implemented.

She said: “I was struck by how a main contention was about the transparency of the decision-making process, whether there was any conflict of interest, and whether information could be more accessible to the public as well.”

Separately, Sunset Way residents appealed in a July 31 open letter to Holland-Bukit Timah GRC MP Christopher de Souza to preserve Maju Forest.

Hui-E Seeto, a resident and volunteer of the newly formed group Saving Maju Forest, said they sought his support in exhausting every reasonable planning alternative before developing the vegetation.

About two-thirds of the 23ha forest in Clementi’s Sunset Way area will make way for new public housing developments in the coming years, according to plans announced by the Housing Board on July 10.

As at Aug 1, the letter had garnered 555 signatures, the group of about 50 resident volunteers told ST in an e-mail.

It said: “The groundswell of support from residents and non-residents alike shows that many Singaporeans do not believe that development and nature need to be in conflict, and recognise the human, ecological, and climate value of forests.”

At least seven MPs from both sides of the House have filed questions regarding the planned developments at Gillman Barracks for the next Parliament sitting.

In 2021, the authorities had revised their plans to develop Dover Forest for housin g after feedback from members of the public.

Then National Development Minister Desmond Lee announced that the eastern half would be used for public housing, while the western half would be set aside for about a decade to preserve its biodiversity.

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