Our Green Home
By Tan Chuan-Jin, Minister of State for National Development, 15 Jun 2011 (this note was posted on his Facebook page).
“Home is where your friends are…where your family is.”
We have been having weekly brainstorming sessions at MND to study and discuss the issues facing us. We are moving on HDB challenges. We are re-looking at policies so that we can meet the needs of Singaporeans. These are unfolding and more will be shared when ready. We may not be able to meet all needs, but we can certainly do more than where we are today.
Looking at these issues have also sharpened my own sense about what home is for us. We are not really in the business of just building houses. It is about providing living space and common space amidst challenges that few countries face. I have always been struck by what Koon Hean, CEO HDB, shared about how there is little basis to compare us with Hong Kong, New York and other great cities. They are all part of a country whilst we are an entire country squeezed into slightly over 700+ square kilometres. Land is needed for: housing, recreation, industry, business, defence, catchment, heritage. Serious decisions are required. Trade-off is a bad word but that is what faces us all the time. Not easy. Few cities grapple with all these for they all invaribly have a hinterland to fall back on….we don’t. Read more
Flooding and heritage – there’s a link
Letter from Vinita Ramani Mohan, 15 Jun 2011.
AS A resident of Bukit Timah, there are two issues that I have been following closely over the past year. The first is the intermittent flash floods and the second is the closure in two weeks of the Tanjong Pagar and Bukit Timah railway stations and the return of the Malayan railway land to Singapore.
Though the two issues at first glance seem unrelated, they both pertain to our natural environment and how rapidly the landscape of Singapore is changing.
A recent letter to Today provided a refreshingly intelligent perspective that aptly connected to The Nature Society’s proposal “The Green Corridor – A Proposal to Keep the Railway Lands as a Continuous Green Corridor”.
Source: TODAY
Green lungs to quell floods
Letter from Liew Kai Khiun, TODAY, 8 Jun 2011.
IT SEEMS certain that the islandwide floods are getting more routine as last year’s images of submerged roads, water-choked basement car parks and ankle-deep waters in malls returned to haunt us on Sunday morning.
In spite of the extensive drainage work undertaken over the decades, the authorities have conceded that no amount of preparation can stop such freak floods that are attributed predominantly to global warming and “acts of nature”.
Nonetheless, I would also like to draw a correlation between the floods and the high growth rates of the past few years, rapid urbanisation resulting from the property boom and the spike in population. Hence, the problems are not only global and natural but also local and man-made. Read more
Preserve rail station as part of transport network
Letter from Kong Pih Shu, TODAY, 31 May 2011.
I would like to suggest that the railway station be preserved as what it is – a railway station.
Continue the rail services, perhaps as an extension of public transport, with stations plotted along the railway line. In the future, we could extend the line around Singapore, so visitors and locals alike can experience a rustic, “kampung-like” way of travelling to see the whole country.
The railway line can complement the MRT network, with coaches that blend modern and traditional elements. In order to make taking the train a great family activity, we can consider, for instance, incorporating dining experiences on board. With a railway line, one can also simply hop on and disembark at, say, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve Station and have a cup of coffee before venturing out to the reserve. There are so many possibilities!
Source: TODAY
Significance of ‘Green Corridor’
By Jon Cooper, The Adam Park Project Project Manager, TODAY, 19 May 2011.
I read with interest the enlightening letter “A green corridor down memory lane” by Mr Lee Seow Ser (May 17) on the fight to save the heritage and nature along the abandoned railway lines in Singapore .
I would like to add another round to the arsenal of good reasons for the protection of the “Green Corridor”. The stretch of line at the west end of Bukit Timah Road which includes the Bukit Timah railway station and girder bridge is perhaps the most iconic and best preserved section of the World War II battlefield in the area.
The railway line, embankments, rail bridge and station marked the furthest point of advance of the only British counter-attack during the seven-day fight for Singapore.
Source: TODAY
A green corridor down memory lane
Letter from Lee Seow Ser, TODAY, 17 May 2011.
On a recent Saturday, a handful of enthusiastic nature and heritage lovers like myself participated in a guided walk along the tracks of the rustic Bukit Timah Railway Station. This was followed by an insightful sharing session – “The Green Corridor” forum – organised by the National Library Board and Nature Society of Singapore (NSS).
In a proposal titled “The Green Corridor – A Proposal to Keep the Railway Lands as a Continuous Green Corridor” submitted by NSS last year to the authorities, representations were made to preserve the railway lands which brim with historical value and biodiversity in flora and fauna, after the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station ceases to operate on July 1.
Source: TODAY
Different routes for two railway stations?
By S Ramesh and Hetty Musfirah Abdul Khamid, Apr 09, 2011.
One could become the centrepiece of the glitzy redevelopment of the Tanjong Pagar area, while the other, an endearing local landmark in Bukit Timah, will stand as a piece of Singapore’s transport history.
The Preservation of Monuments Board (PMB) is gazetting the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station (TPRS) as a national monument, while the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is gazetting the Bukit Timah Railway Station (BTRS) as a conserved building.
This, in view of “their deep historical significance, and to protect physical reminders of our rich heritage”, according to a joint statement from the PMB and URA released on Friday.
Source: Today Online
Historic railway stations to be kept for future generations
In view of their deep historical significance and to protect physical reminders of our rich heritage, the Singapore government will be keeping both the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station and the Bukit Timah Railway Station. The Preservation of Monuments Board (PMB) is gazetting the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station as a National Monument, while the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is gazetting the Bukit Timah Railway Station as a conserved building.
At their Retreat on 24 May 2010, the Prime Ministers of Singapore and Malaysia announced in their Joint Statement that the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) station would be relocated from Tanjong Pagar to the Woodlands Train Checkpoint (WTCP) by 1 July 2011. Both Leaders also agreed that the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station Passenger Terminal building would be conserved given its historical significance and the old Bukit Timah Railway Station building at Blackmore Drive could also be conserved.
With the relocation of KTMB station from Tanjong Pagar to WTCP by 1 July 2011, both the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station and the Bukit Timah Railway Station will then cease to operate as KTMB railway facilities. Read more
Faber access road: Joint effort by agencies to minimise environmental impact
Straits Times Forum, 18 Mar 11.
WE THANK Ms Bhavani Prakash for her feedback (‘Don’t cut a road across the green corridor’; March 8).
We understand the concerns that the construction of the new access road into the Faber area could affect the environment. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) had taken this into consideration when planning this new access road.
We are working closely with the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and National Parks Board (NParks) to minimise any impact on the existing environment and the number of trees affected.
Source: Straits Times via Wildsingapore
Don’t cut a road across the green corridor
Straits Times Forum, 8 Mar 11.
THE eagerness with which we want to make life easy for motorists is a narrow paradigm (‘Faber residents squawk over road plan’; last Wednesday).
The Land Transport Authority must design the city for people and not for cars. Perhaps traffic can be eased if we made it easier for people to cycle and walk, which is what the Nature Society (Singapore)’s plan for the green corridor envisions: a 40km stretch for eco-friendly and less carbon-intensive passage.
The corridor could become an iconic regional attraction, which can be propped up by an economic model that earns revenue. It would also preserve our ecology and heritage for generations – a real winner for all.
Source: Straits Times via Wildsingapore
