Singapore drops UNESCO World Heritage bid for Padang, surrounding historic buildings over potential development restrictions

Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City in the United Kingdom was stripped of its World Heritage status in 2021 following developments that UNESCO considered detrimental to the site’s heritage significance.

In Seoul, South Korea, UNESCO issued a letter last year urging authorities to suspend approval of a high-rise complex outside the buffer zone of the World Heritage-listed Jongmyo Shrine, citing concerns about its potential impact on the shrine’s surrounding landscape.

On whether alternatives had been considered before Singapore decided not to proceed with the nomination, NHB said that it engaged in a clarification call with UNESCO after receiving the preliminary assessment report, but did not engage in back and forth with the organisation.

NHB also consulted several government agencies and stakeholders on the findings, including those it had engaged in 2023 before Singapore decided to explore the nomination. 

“NHB has engaged relevant stakeholders on the proposed nomination and informed them of the preliminary assessment’s findings and the decision,” said the board. 

“We will continue to engage stakeholders and consider their feedback, as part of our ongoing efforts to safeguard the Padang’s heritage significance.”

Despite the decision, NHB said it remains committed to protecting the heritage of the Padang and surrounding National Monuments.

The Padang and key buildings within the Civic Ensemble – such as the Asian Civilisations Museum, Former Supreme Court, Former City Hall, Fullerton Hotel, Old Parliament House, Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, and St Andrew’s Cathedral – are already accorded the highest status of preservation and protection in Singapore as national monuments. 

Singapore’s first and only UNESCO World Heritage Site is the Singapore Botanic Gardens, which was inscribed on the World Heritage list in 2015.

NHB said that together with NParks, it remains focused on the continued protection and promotion of the Singapore Botanic Gardens as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a “green lung in the heart of the city loved by Singaporeans and visitors from around the world.” 

“Singapore will also continue efforts to protect and pass on our living heritage, including hawker culture and the kebaya, which are inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, alongside ongoing multinational nominations for Chingay and zapin,” said NHB.