SINGAPORE \u2013 Mr Jasper Tan, a long-time Oxley Road resident, has seen more heavy vehicles, including buses and lorries, passing through Oxley Road in recent years. <\/p>\n
There is also the longstanding issue of illegal parking at Oxley Mansion, a freehold walk-up apartment at the corner of Eber Road and Oxley Road where he has lived for more than 50 years, he said. <\/p>\n
While traffic congestion on the two-lane Oxley Road is not a major issue for now, Mr Tan, 58, told The Straits Times on Nov 4 he is concerned these issues could worsen if 38 Oxley Road \u2013 the site of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew\u2019s family home \u2013 is gazetted as a national monument. <\/p>\n
The authorities on Nov 3 <\/p>\n announced its intention to do so<\/p>\n <\/a>, and if gazetted and acquired by the Government, the site will be converted into a public space such as a heritage park.<\/p>\n While Mr Tan supports the potential gazetting of the site as a national monument, the retiree also said he was concerned about the traffic congestion, crowds and noise that such a space may attract to the quiet, sleepy estate.<\/p>\n \u201cThat site is an odd area for a public space… the area isn\u2019t built for that purpose,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The resident also raised questions about how the masses will be able to access the site, if it is to be converted into a public park, via the existing two-lane road.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cMany people already use our carpark as a public carpark because there is no security, guards or gates at its entrance.\u201d<\/p>\n Residents even had to lock up a water pump at Oxley Mansion\u2019s carpark, as trespassers would try to use it to wash their cars. <\/p>\n There is a long-standing issue of illegal parking at Oxley Mansion.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n \u201cIf the site becomes a public park, and people want to drive here, where would they park?\u201d Mr Tan asked. <\/p>\n Turning this area into a no-car zone may not work because Oxley Road is a vital artery between Orchard Road and River Valley Road, he said.<\/p>\n He suggested the possibility of making the nearby Dublin Road the entry point for the proposed park. <\/p>\n \u201cBut Dublin Road is also a narrow road,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n If the public park becomes a reality, Mr\u00a0Karamjit\u00a0Singh, chief executive of property consultancy\u00a0Delasa, said planners will need to deal with traffic concerns from tours and excursions by facilitating adequate car and coach parking, as well as drop-off zones.<\/p>\n Another resident at the nearby Lloyd Mansion also raised concerns about the potential for more illegal parking at its carpark, as there are also no guards or gantries at the freehold walk-up apartment. <\/p>\n \u201cThere are not many cars or car owners here. That\u2019s why people are very tempted to come and try to park or make U-turns via our parking lot,\u201d said a retiree in her 70s, who wanted to be known only as Madam Tan.<\/p>\n A resident at Lloyd Mansion raised concerns about the potential for more illegal parking at its carpark, as there are also no guards or gantries at the freehold walk-up apartment.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n ST observed that four traffic cones have been placed at one of the property\u2019s two entrances, which Madam Tan said are meant to deter non-residents from entering their carpark. <\/p>\n While the Oxley Road area may draw larger crowds if 38 Oxley Road is converted into a public space, Ms Nicoleen Tan, 22, who lives in a landed home on the same road, said this may result in some home-based businesses popping up in the private estate. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s quite trendy among young people. I\u2019ve heard of many home-based businesses starting in people\u2019s private homes… Some may take advantage of the influx of tourists and visitors coming to this area. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a good business opportunity,\u201d the student added. <\/p>\n On whether plans for the gazetting of\u00a038\u00a0Oxley\u00a0Road may prompt developers to relook the Oxley Road area\u2019s potential, some property analysts said this would be subject to what the planning controls are, and the final decision on how the site is to be developed or preserved. <\/p>\n Mr\u00a0Nicholas\u00a0Mak, chief research officer at property portal Mogul.sg, noted: \u201cIf the Government doesn\u2019t raise the plot ratio of the land around\u00a038\u00a0Oxley\u00a0Road, there will be few projects redeveloped there.\u201d <\/p>\n To maintain the ambience around\u00a038\u00a0Oxley\u00a0Road, the Government may also restrict high-rise redevelopment in the area, he added. <\/p>\n The site is within a designated two-storey landed housing area, where guidelines are in place to retain the character of the existing estate.<\/p>\n Mr Mark Yip, chief executive of property firm Huttons Asia, believes developers\u2019 interest may not be triggered until the area, which is currently zoned for two-storey mixed landed use, is changed to non-landed zoning and the height restrictions are lifted. Mixed landed homes refer to terraced, semi-detached and detached houses.<\/p>\n Another unknown at this point is whether the Government will also acquire parcels adjacent to 38 Oxley Road, Mr Mak said.<\/p>\n \u201cOtherwise, residents in neighbouring properties may have to live beside a heritage site,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Another resident of a landed property next to 38 Oxley Road, who wanted to be known only as Madam Yee, said that if the site becomes a public park, there may be the possibility of some neighbouring properties being acquired to make the park bigger.<\/p>\n When asked how she felt if that became a reality, she said in Mandarin: \u201cIf the country requires it, as a Singaporean, we should support.\u201d<\/p>\n She has lived in her property for 20 years. <\/p>\n The authorities have said it is premature to discuss the prospect of properties surrounding 38 Oxley Road being acquired, as the options are still preliminary.<\/p>\n Notices of the Government\u2019s intention to gazette 38 Oxley Road as a national monument on the property\u2019s gate on Nov 4.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Real estate consultancy\u00a0Cistri\u2019s regional director\u00a0Jack\u00a0Backen said high-quality green space has been shown to boost property values, especially in higher-density residential areas.<\/p>\n That said, there is no clarity on what the Government is proposing for the site, so the impact is unclear, he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n On the potential redevelopment that could take place, Mr Backen said he believes \u201cresidential zoning will most likely remain in place\u201d\u00a0for the sites surrounding 38 Oxley Road.<\/p>\n \u201cI am not sure the Urban Redevelopment Authority would support a change of use to office in the surrounding area, given that they are trying to promote decentralisation,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n \u201cA hotel might be a possibility, but it would likely need to be on a site fronting Killiney\u00a0Road to limit traffic impact,\u201d he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mr Yip said that among the non-landed private properties in the area that are more than 20 years old are Orchard Court, Oxley Garden, Oxley Mansion, Valley Mansion and Ville Royale.<\/p>\n Oxley\u00a0Garden\u2019s <\/p>\n collective\u00a0sale\u00a0tender at $200 million<\/p>\n <\/a> closed in November 2022 without a bid.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/picture><\/div>
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