Housing estates may be required to set aside minimum green space

Channel NewsAsia 7 Nov 13;

SINGAPORE: New Housing and Development Board estates and private condominiums may soon be required to set aside a stipulated amount of green space.

Speaking at a conference on Thursday, Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee said the ministry will be exploring the possibility of introducing a minimum requirement.

This is one way to ensure that pervasive greenery continues to exist in Singapore.

Mr Lee said that where new developments displace existing greenery, they should fully or partially replace the lost greenery by other means.

This can take the form of landscaping, rooftop gardens, or vertical greenery like green walls.

Mr Lee also added that the ministry will study how to add more greenery to public infrastructure such as sheltered walkways and bus shelters.

Some industry players told Channel NewsAsia this will bring about higher quality living spaces for residents, but not necessarily at much higher costs.

Frven Lim, deputy MD of building consultancy services at Surbana International Consultants, said: "By stipulating certain base requirements, it means that the base standard of all designs henceforth would be of a higher standard.

"By providing green spaces, it just means that the built-up areas are translated into another form. It's not necessarily going to bring up the costs. It might, but probably not in a significant way."

- CNA/xq

Housing estates may have to set aside minimum amount of green space
Today Online 7 Nov 13;

SINGAPORE — New Housing and Development Board estates and private condominiums may soon be required to set aside a stipulated amount of green space.

Speaking at a conference today (Nov 7), Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee said the ministry will be exploring the possibility of introducing a minimum requirement.

This is one way to ensure that pervasive greenery continues to exist in Singapore.

Mr Lee said that where new developments displace existing greenery, they should fully or partially replace the lost greenery by other means. This can take the form of landscaping, rooftop gardens, or vertical greenery like green walls.

Mr Lee also added that the ministry will study how to add more greenery to public infrastructure such as sheltered walkways and bus shelters.

Deputy MD of building consultancy services at Surbana International Consultants Frven Lim said this could bring about higher quality living spaces for residents, but not necessarily at much higher costs.

Mr Lim said: “By providing green spaces, it just means that the built-up areas are translated into another form. It’s not necessarily going to bring up the costs. It might, but probably not in a significant way.”