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SINGAPORE: The government intends to gazette the 38 Oxley Road site \u2013 the family home of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew \u2013 as a national monument, saying it will balance the need to preserve a location of historic significance with respect for Mr Lee’s wishes for privacy.<\/p>\n
Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo said on Monday (Nov 3) that he will gazette the site after considering recommendations from the National Heritage Board (NHB) and its Preservation of Sites and Monuments Advisory Board, which assessed the site as worthy of preservation.<\/p>\n
If the site is preserved and acquired, it will be converted into a public space, with one possible outcome being a heritage park, said NHB and the Singapore Land Authority (SLA). This means the site cannot be redeveloped for residential, commercial or other private uses.<\/p>\n
“Regardless of the option taken, the government will respect Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s wishes, and will remove all traces of Mr Lee’s and his family’s private living spaces from the buildings,” NHB and SLA said.<\/p>\n
The announcement comes more than a year after Mr Lee’s son Lee Hsien Yang applied to demolish the house on Oct 21 last year. The government responded at the time by saying it would assess whether the site merited preservation as a national monument.<\/p>\n
NHB and SLA said on Monday that preserving the site does not necessarily mean preserving the buildings in their current form.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe relevant authorities have not had the chance to assess the state of the buildings and structures within the site. If access is obtained, the authorities will undertake a detailed study to consider how to proceed,\u201d the agencies said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n