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Responding to CNA\u2019s queries on why UNESCO\u2019s advisory bodies recommended a larger buffer zone than Singapore had initially proposed, NHB said the recommendation reflected UNESCO’s emphasis on stronger protection for World Heritage Sites.<\/span><\/p>\n NHB said it had hoped the evaluators would take into account Singapore’s unique circumstances as a small, densely developed city-state.<\/span><\/p>\n The board also hoped that the preliminary assessment would be a good way to see how Singapore could balance heritage preservation versus urban development, given that these are issues confronting many global cities around the world, and potentially set an example for others to follow.<\/span><\/p>\n NHB said a larger buffer zone would be challenging given the high-rise buildings in the vicinity, including new constructions along River Valley and Beach Road. The expanded zone could potentially subject private commercial buildings to additional planning restrictions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A World Heritage Site generally comprises a legally protected area containing features of outstanding universal value that justify its designation.<\/span><\/p>\n Surrounding the site is a buffer zone, where complementary legal restrictions on land use and development provide protection for the site, its immediate surroundings, important views and other areas supporting its heritage significance.<\/span><\/p>\n NHB also pointed to overseas examples illustrating the potential long-term implications of UNESCO’s conservation requirements.<\/span><\/p>\n 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.<\/span><\/p>\n 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\u2019s surrounding landscape.<\/span><\/p>\n On\u00a0whether 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.<\/span><\/p>\n NHB also consulted\u00a0<\/span>several government agencies and stakeholders on the findings, including those it had engaged in 2023 before Singapore decided to explore the nomination.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “NHB has engaged relevant stakeholders on the proposed nomination and informed them of the preliminary assessment’s findings and the decision,\u201d said the board.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe will continue to engage stakeholders and consider their feedback, as part of our ongoing efforts to safeguard the Padang\u2019s heritage significance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Despite the decision, NHB said it remains committed to protecting the heritage of the Padang and surrounding National Monuments.<\/span><\/p>\n The Padang and key buildings within the Civic Ensemble \u2013 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\u2019s Cathedral \u2013 are already accorded the highest status of preservation and protection in Singapore as national monuments.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Singapore’s first and only UNESCO World Heritage Site is the Singapore Botanic Gardens, which was\u00a0<\/span>inscribed on the World Heritage list in 2015<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n 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.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “Singapore will also continue efforts to protect and pass on our living heritage, including <\/span>hawker culture<\/span> and the\u00a0<\/span>kebaya<\/span>, which are inscribed on UNESCO\u2019s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, alongside ongoing multinational nominations for Chingay and\u00a0<\/span>zapin<\/span>,” said NHB.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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