fewer homes can be built there,<\/span><\/a> Minister of State for National Development Alvin Tan told reporters on Aug 14.<\/p>\n\u201cWith the changes, we will have even more greenery in both areas than originally planned. We will work out exactly how much more, but we will have to accept that this means we can build fewer homes on both sites for fellow Singaporeans.\u201d<\/p>\n
Public feedback closed on Aug 6.<\/p>\n
The authorities will continue to engage Singaporeans and aim to finalise the plans over the coming month, Tan said.<\/p>\n
Initial plans for the sites retained 40 per cent of green spaces in Gillman Barracks and 35 per cent in Maju Forest, he added, noting that these were developed with the involvement of nature groups.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe current plan was never final,\u201d Tan said.<\/p>\n
He added that nature groups asked for a wider central green corridor at Gillman Barracks for better connectivity to other green spaces such as Telok Blangah Hill Park, Labrador Nature Reserve and HortPark.<\/p>\n\n\nNature groups asked for a wider central green corridor at Gillman Barracks for better connectivity to other green spaces.<\/p>\n
PHOTO: ST FILE<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
For Maju Forest, the groups have asked that the green corridor be widened to create a more continuous vegetated area for animals to forage. Nearby residents and the general public have also asked for more greenery to be retained.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will take these suggestions into consideration as we make the adjustments,\u201d Tan said. He did not take questions from reporters.<\/p>\n
Nature Society Singapore president Leong Kwok Peng said he hoped that the authorities would retain two-thirds of Maju Forest, up from the current plan of one-third.<\/p>\n\n\nNature Society Singapore president Leong Kwok Peng said he hoped that the authorities would retain two-thirds of Maju Forest, up from the current plan of one-third.<\/p>\n
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The freshwater stream in the northern part of the forest could be merged with green spaces in the south for a bigger forest, he said.<\/p>\n
But even then, it could impact biodiversity negatively, he added.<\/p>\n
The nature group was consulted for the initial plans released by the Housing Board on July 10.<\/p>\n
Lester Tan, a member of the Nature Society Singapore\u2019s conservation committee, had said that the 30m-wide ecological corridors initially proposed for Gillman Barracks could squeeze species that once had a large space to roam into a small corridor.<\/p>\n
He added that HDB\u2019s measure to keep about a third of Maju Forest was the \u201cminimum compromise\u201d to balance development and conservation.<\/p>\n
Leong said the outpouring of sentiment for Maju Forest shocked him.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s quite heartening to see the youth and the MPs being very active and engaging the residents about it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Tan told Parliament earlier in August that plans for the sites have not been finalised, but these areas need to be developed to meet Singapore\u2019s housing needs over the next decade.<\/p>\n
A total of 19 MPs had asked about a range of issues, including balancing housing needs with environmental preservation, the effectiveness of public feedback and the transparency of the planning process.<\/p>\n
Singaporeans, especially those living near the affected areas, have raised concerns about the loss of the spaces they consider key to their neighbourhoods, with some crafting proposals, organising dialogues and petitioning their MPs to raise the issues in Parliament.<\/p>\n
Sunset Way resident Carmen Tang, 50, said she was glad to hear that more of Maju Forest would be retained.<\/p>\n
\u201cClementi is already quite densely populated, so it\u2019s good to have more nature around,\u201d said the supply planner. She added that she moved there 10 years ago for the nature and quiet environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought the initial announcement was final, so I\u2019m glad the Government is listening to feedback.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another resident, Low Guo Xiang, 43, said the area was windy and had a cooler temperature thanks to the forest.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was worried that these things, that we take for granted, would be gone,\u201d said the software engineer. \u201cIt would be better if the whole forest is kept, but retaining more is better than nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Telok Blangah resident Jessica Boon, 39, said she hoped that more of the Gillman Barracks forest could be retained as some of the neighbourhood\u2019s greenery – the site of the former Keppel Club – had already made way for the upcoming Berlayar estate.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really like this place because there is so much greenery and how quiet it is. I\u2019d just be really upset if they have to take more down,\u201d said Boon, who works in sales.<\/p>\n
\n
\n\nAdditional reporting by Maryam Munshi<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n