SINGAPORE – Soon after completing an extensive restoration project that cost about $25 million, St Joseph’s Church, a national monument in Victoria Street, had to raise funds for another multimillion-dollar expense – lease renewal.
The Roman Catholic church, which in 2022 reopened after a five-year-long restoration, was at the tail end of a 99-year lease that was due to expire in February 2028.
Earlier in 2026, its lease was renewed for 60 years, which is twice the typical tenure offered to religious organisations undergoing lease renewal.
The longer lease was made possible by a recent policy tweak by the authorities for places of worship that have been gazetted as monuments.
“The longer tenure supports these non-profit institutions in carrying out their religious and community missions, and provides greater certainty for long-term investments to upkeep and restore their historically significant buildings in accordance with preservation requirements,” said the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) and the National Heritage Board (NHB) in a statement to The Straits Times.
The agencies added that lease renewals “are assessed on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the relevant planning, land use and heritage considerations”.
At least two other places of worship that are monuments have been offered 60-year leases – St George’s Church in Minden Road and Tan Si Chong Su, an ancestral hall and Chinese temple in Magazine Road.
Tan Si Chong Su, an ancestral hall and Chinese temple in Magazine Road.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Lease renewal premiums are based on factors such as location, land area, gross floor area, allowable use and lease tenure.
Asked about the 60-year offers, SLA and NHB said the Government regularly reviews its policies to meet Singapore’s evolving needs while safeguarding its built heritage.
“In land-scarce Singapore, the Government generally grants lease renewals for places of worship for up to 30 years, subject to agencies’ assessment, so that land can continue to be planned and allocated to meet changing socio-economic needs over time,” said the two agencies.
In the case of places of worship that are also national monuments, the Government recognises that they typically incur higher costs to maintain and restore their buildings in accordance with preservation requirements, and hold significant heritage value.
Lease renewals of up to 60 years for such places provide “long-term certainty for these places of worship while balancing the need to retain planning flexibility”, SLA and NHB said.
St Joseph’s Church’s 60-year lease took effect on July 15 and cost more than $5 million, said the Archdiocesan Land and Properties Singapore (ALPS), an office which advises the Archbishop of Singapore William Goh on land and property matters.
The ALPS said monument owners are obliged to maintain and safeguard their buildings for the wider public good, and a longer lease gives owners greater security of tenure, as well as to make substantial investments in upkeep and conservation works.
It added that works required on monuments tend to go beyond what normal buildings require as the historical buildings have to follow preservation guidelines issued by the NHB that may require “compatible materials, appropriate traditional techniques, and specialist craftsmen”.
Additional costs are also required for specialist conservation advice, as well as documentation and approval.
Father Joe Lopez, rector of St Joseph’s Church, said Singapore does not have experts to restore some of the church’s artefacts, so the church – which was completed in 1912 – had to hire Portuguese art restorer Filipa Machado to work on its latest round of restoration.
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