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LAND USE PLAN

Reclamation will add land the size of nine AMK towns

Published on Feb 01, 2013


SINGAPORE will grow its land area by 5,200ha through reclamation between now and 2030, to cater for a projected population of between 6.5 million and 6.9 million by then.

The increase in land area will be the size of nine Ang Mo Kio towns.

The Ministry of National Development's (MND) Land Use Plan, released yesterday, said land will be reclaimed as part of a wider urban planning strategy to support Singapore's growing population.

Besides reclamation, some reserve land, which is now vacant, will be developed. And other pockets of land with lower-intensity uses, such as old industrial areas and some golf courses, will be redeveloped.

Most of the land to be reclaimed will be at Pulau Tekong for military training use, and at Tuas Port and Jurong Island for use by industry. Other areas include Tuas and Pasir Panjang for industry and port use.

Singapore's total land area will grow to up to 76,600ha, up from about 71,400ha currently, said the plan.

The plan also outlined areas for reclamation beyond 2030. These include Marina East, Simpang, Changi East, Sungei Kadut, Pasir Ris, and around the Western Islands.

Experts The Straits Times spoke to said several matters to consider include territorial sea boundaries and environmental concerns.

Civil engineering professor Yong Kwet Yew at the National University of Singapore said that reclaiming land, even if within Singapore's boundaries, can have an impact on hydrodynamics and the tidal flow of waters in Singapore, as well as coastal waters of neighbouring countries.

Future reclamation will be more costly because the depths of water will be deeper, at 20m to 30m, with some areas going beyond that, he said.

That will require much more imported sand. Singapore has faced difficulty importing sand in recent years, as countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia moved to ban the export of sand to the Republic.

Prof Yong said that there are other more cost-effective ways to make room for more people. These include intensifying the use of existing land by building higher or underground. "These are 'low-hanging' fruits to work on, and if there is more demand for space, we can look at reclamation and use of space deep underground," he said.

The MND said the 2008 Master Plan is being revised and updated to support the Population White Paper. "Over the long term... we will continue to exploit technology and implement innovative solutions to optimise our land use," it said.

JESSICA CHEAM