Residents on Pulau Ubin will not be evicted and there are no plans to develop a new adventure park on the island, the Ministry of National Development and the Singapore Land Authority said on Friday in a joint statement.
However, if affected residents do decide to stay in their homes, they will have to pay rent from now on because they are staying on state land.
The agencies clarified that the notices given to 22 households in March - widely thought to be eviction notices - were a follow-up from a previous exercise.
Since 1993, the households had been informed that they would be affected by public development, which included a new recreation park, and were entitled to resettlement benefits.
Facilties for the park, which included cycling and hiking trails and campsites, were subsequently completed between 1994 and 2005.
During a recent SLA review, the agency noted that not all 22 households had claimed their resettlement benefits. The SLA then employed the Housing and Development Board to conduct a census survey in March to find out whether the households were still eligible for the resettlement benefits and whether they wanted to stay or relocate.
"These households are currently residing on state land without a temporary occupation license," the agencies said in the statement. "They can continue to stay on state land if they obtain (the license) from SLA and pay a fee for the use of the land, similar to any other use of state land."
The agencies said the rents will be pegged at the market rate, but would be phased in stages so households will only pay the full market rate in six years.
"The Government will also render other forms of assistance as may be necessary to households who require and qualify for such assistance," they said, adding that each case would be reviewed separately.
"The planning intention is to keep Pulau Ubin in its rustic state for as long as possible as an outdoor playground for Singaporeans. Given this, there is no need for the residents to move out."
Ubin kampung residents won't be evicted
But the 22 households who received HDB notices will have to start paying rent or relocate
Poon Chian Hui And Feng Zengkun Straits Times 13 Apr 13;
Mr Lim Chu Zi, 82, the village representative, said many residents have never paid property tax. -- ST PHOTOS: MUGILAN RAJASEGERAN
Ms Jariah Garib (right), 76, and her daughter Hamidah Awang, 48, live in a house which they say has been handed down for generations, but are unsure if they qualify for benefits. -- ST PHOTOS: MUGILAN RAJASEGERAN
KAMPUNG residents of Pulau Ubin who recently received notices from the Housing Board (HDB) that their homes were to be cleared will not be evicted, as they feared.
But the catch is, the 22 households, which are in different parts of the island, will have to start paying rent to continue living where they are.
The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) and the Ministry of National Development (MND) yesterday addressed rumours that some residents on the 1,020ha island are being forced to move out to make way for an adventure park.
Such a new facility is not on the cards, they said in a joint statement last night.
"The planning intention is to keep Pulau Ubin in its rustic state for as long as possible, as an outdoor playground for Singaporeans," the statement said.
The current situation goes back to 1993 when plans were made to develop a "recreation park" on the island.
The Government said then that it would acquire 254ha of private land partly for this purpose.
From 1994 to 2005, cycling and hiking trails, campsites, shelters and toilets were built to cater to visitors. The Ketam Mountain Bike Park, which opened in 2008, was also part of this plan.
The acquisition exercise entitled legal property owners to resettlement benefits, whether or not they moved.
But as the affected residents were now living on state-owned land, they had to apply for a temporary occupation licence (TOL) to continue living in their homes, the authorities said in the statement.
A recent SLA review found the 22 households have done neither and thus were issued notices on March 12.
The HDB document said these homes are slated for "clearance", and that officers will visit the premises to conduct a "census survey" and determine their "eligibility of resettlement benefits".
Only those who have documents to prove that they own the house will be entitled to the money.
The survey, to end in June, will also ascertain if the households intend to relocate or stay.
Those who choose to stay will have to apply for a TOL and pay rent, which will be increased gradually so that residents pay the full market rate from the sixth year onwards.
Rents will depend on the site and gross floor areas and usage, to be determined from the survey.
Assistance will be given to those who require and qualify for it, said the SLA-MND statement.
Even so, Madam Kamariah Abdullah, 54, is worried that she cannot afford to pay the rent.
Her taxi driver husband has been diagnosed with stomach cancer and is undergoing treatment, she said.
She has been told by the authorities that she may receive $10,000 as resettlement benefits, which is "too little", she said.
Madam Kamariah does not know the size of her home, but said she had documents of ownership.
"I don't understand why they want to give us money, then take it back through rent," she said.
Former pig farmer Lim Chu Zi, 82, the son of the late village chief there who is the representative for the village, said many residents have never paid property tax.
His own home is not affected, but others have moved out ahead of this episode, he said. About 10 families are left in one affected area, known as Kampung Melayu, in the middle of the island.
About 100 people are estimated to live on Pulau Ubin.
When asked if she had ownership documents, one resident, Ms Jariah Garib, 76, would only say that her house had been handed down for generations. An officer had inspected her place, but it is unclear whether she qualifies for any benefits.
"I was born here and have lived here all my life. If I have to leave, I'll have to move in with my daughter in Singapore," she said.
She lives on the island with another daughter.
PRESERVING PULAU UBIN
The planning intention is to keep Pulau Ubin in its rustic state for as long as possible, as an outdoor playground for Singaporeans.
- The Singapore Land Authority and the Ministry of National Development, in a joint statement
Authorities say no plans to evict households residing on Pulau Ubin
Teo Chia Leen Channel NewsAsia 12 Apr 13;
SINGAPORE: The authorities say there are no plans to evict the households currently residing on Pulau Ubin or develop an Adventure Park on the island.
A joint statement by the Ministry of National Development and the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) said the planning intention is to keep Pulau Ubin in its rustic state for as long as possible as an outdoor playground for Singaporeans.
It added that the Housing and Development Board had conducted a census survey on 22 households in Pulau Ubin last month.
These households were previously informed, as early as in 1993, that they would be affected by a public development project, which included the development of a recreation park.
To align with the rustic nature of Pulau Ubin and its planning intention, outdoor adventure elements were included in the recreation park, for example, trails for cycling and hiking, campsites and amenities like shelters and toilets.
These facilities were completed in phases between 1994 and 2005, and allowed more people to explore the island and enjoy its natural landscape.
The Ketam Mountain Bike Park was subsequently launched in 2008. During a recent review, it was noted that not all 22 households had claimed the resettlement benefits they were entitled to.
The census survey, which commenced on 3 April 2013 and will complete by June this year, thus sought to re-establish the eligibility of households for the resettlement benefits and ascertain whether these households had the intention to remain or relocate.
HDB's role in this exercise is to help SLA determine the residents' eligibility to receive resettlement benefits, and compute the resettlement benefit due to each resident.
Owners will be paid the resettlement benefits if they are able to produce documentary proof of ownership.
These households are currently residing on State land without a Temporary Occupation Licence (TOL). They can continue to stay on State land if they obtain a TOL from SLA, and pay a fee for the use of the land, similar to any other use of State land.
The authorities met them last month to explain, and to emphasise that they were not being evicted.
The residents were also informed of the assistance which the government would render, if necessary, and the steps the residents should take if they wished to continue staying in Pulau Ubin.
- CNA/de
No plans to evict Pulau Ubin residents, authorities say
Today Online 12 Apr 13;
Amidah Binte Awang (right) and her mother Jariah Binte Garib (left), were two of the residents whose homes in Kampung Melayu on Pulau Ubin were served a notice of census survey. Photo by OOI BOON KEONG
Text that followed identical to Channel NewsAsia report.
No plans to evict Pulau Ubin residents
But households will have to pay rent and obtain a Temporary Occupation Licence to stay on
Eugene Neubronner Today Online 13 Apr 13;
SINGAPORE — Contrary to online speculation and some media reports, the authorities yesterday clarified that “there are no plans to evict the households currently residing on Pulau Ubin or develop an Adventure Park on the island”.
Issuing a joint statement, the Ministry of National Development (MND) and the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) reiterated: “The planning intention is to keep Pulau Ubin in its rustic state for as long as possible as an outdoor playground for Singaporeans. Given this, there is no need for the residents to move out.”
The speculation started after some residents on the island received a notice signed off by an official with the Housing and Development Board’s (HDB) Land Clearance Section, which carried the header “Clearance scheme: Clearance of structures previously acquired for development of Adventure Park on Pulau Ubin”.
The authorities clarified that on March 12, the HDB, acting on behalf of the SLA, informed the residents of a census survey in Pulau Ubin. They added that these households had been informed as far back as 1993 that they would be affected by a public development project, which included the development of a recreation park.
“To align with the rustic nature of Pulau Ubin and its planning intention, outdoor adventure elements were included in the recreation park, for example, trails for cycling and hiking, campsites and amenities like shelters and toilets,” the MND and the SLA said.
These facilities were completed in phases between 1994 and 2005.
In a review, the SLA had found that not all 22 households had claimed the resettlement benefits they were entitled to. Hence, the census survey was meant to “re-establish whether these residents were eligible for resettlement benefits and ascertain whether they had the intention to remain or relocate”.
The survey started on April 3 and will be completed by June.
The MND and the SLA said that the affected houses sit on what is now state land, and the households were now residing on state land without the required Temporary Occupation Licence (TOL). If they wish to stay on, they would need to obtain a TOL and pay rent — generally pegged at market rate — to the SLA.
“However, we recognise that some households could face financial hardship if their rent were to be revised immediately to full market rate. Hence, SLA will phase in the rent such that households will only pay full market rate from the sixth year onwards,” the MND and the SLA said.
The MND and the SLA also said they had “met with (the households) on March 23 to explain … the purpose of the exercise and to emphasise that they were not being evicted”.
They were also informed of the available Government assistance and what they needed to do to continue living there.
They added that most of the affected households have contacted the HDB for a site appointment, and the authorities would be in touch with them to see if they require additional assistance.
When TODAY visited some of the affected households at the Malay kampung yesterday, most residents were not at home. The two residents TODAY spoke to said they were unclear about what was going on, and had thought the letter — pasted on the wall outside their homes — was an eviction notice.
Mrs Jariah Binte Garib, 75, said in Malay that she could not understand the notice, which was in English. She added that she has not been approached by any Government official. She also said she believed the land belonged to her, as it was her parents’ home, and added that the HDB had not asked her for the deed yet.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY WOO SIAN BOON