Intention to gazette the site at 38 Oxley Road as National Monument, for possible use as a heritage park

IF PRESERVED AND ACQUIRED:

1. BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES ON THE SITE MAY OR MAY NOT BE KEPT IN THEIR CURRENT STATE, PENDING FURTHER STUDY

2. GOVERNMENT WILL CONSIDER ALL OPTIONS AND COME TO A DECISION WELL WITHIN THIS TERM OF GOVERNMENT

3. ALL PRIVATE LIVING SPACES WILL BE REMOVED TO RESPECT MR LEE KUAN YEW’S WISHES FOR PRIVACY

• Singapore, 3 November 2025 – The National Heritage Board’s (“NHB”) Preservation of Sites and Monuments (“PSM”) Advisory Board has assessed the site at 38 Oxley Road (the “Site”) to be of historic significance and national importance, and worthy of preservation as a National Monument. Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (CCY) David Neo, having considered the PSM Advisory Board’s assessment and NHB’s recommendation, intends to gazette the Site to preserve it as a National Monument. If a Preservation Order is made, the Government intends to acquire the Site to safeguard it and preserve it in keeping with its historic significance and national importance.

• If the Site is preserved and acquired, the Government will convert it into a public space, with one possible outcome being a heritage park. This means that the Site cannot be redeveloped for residential, commercial or other private uses. Preserving the Site does not obligate the Government to preserve all the buildings and structures on the Site in their current state. The relevant authorities have not had the chance to assess the state of the buildings and structures within the Site. If access is obtained, the authorities will undertake a detailed study to consider how to proceed. The Government will consider all options, including those proposed by the Ministerial Committee on 38 Oxley Road in 2018, such as partial or full demolition of the buildings and structures, and intends to make a decision well within this term of Government. Regardless of the option taken, the Government will respect Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s wishes, and will remove all traces of Mr Lee’s and his family’s private living spaces from the buildings.

Conclusion of NHB’s PSM Advisory Board’s assessment – Site is of National Significance

• In its 2018 report, the Ministerial Committee had said there was no need to make any immediate decision on 38 Oxley Road at that time, as Dr Lee Wei Ling was still residing there. On 21 October 2024, after Dr Lee’s passing, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (“URA”) received a demolition application for the building at 38 Oxley Road. On 24 October 2024, NHB launched a formal assessment of the Site, in line with established processes under the Preservation of Monuments Act 2009, to determine if it is worthy of preservation as a National Monument. As part of its usual assessment process, the PSM Advisory Board evaluated if the Site has national, historic, heritage and architectural significance to be worthy of preservation. The URA deferred the determination of the demolition application in light of the commencement of NHB’s assessment.

• The PSM Advisory Board has completed its assessment, and found the Site to be of national significance, with great historic merit, and worthy of preservation. A summary of the historic significance of the Site can be found at Annex A. The PSM Advisory Board’s full Statement of Assessment can be found at Annex B.¹

Acceptance of PSM Advisory Board’s Assessment

• Based on the PSM Advisory Board’s assessment, NHB has recommended that the Site be preserved. Acting Minister (CCY) David Neo has accepted NHB’s recommendation and intends to gazette the Site as a National Monument.

• Acting Minister (CCY) David Neo said, “The Site bore witness to discussions and pivotal decisions that shaped the course of Singapore’s history to become an independent nation. The intention to gazette the Site as a National Monument recognises its historic significance and national importance. This will preserve a key part of our independence journey for future generations.”

• NHB has given the owner and occupier of the Site written notice of Acting Minister (CCY)’s intention to make a Preservation Order. In accordance with the Preservation of Monuments Act 2009, the owner and occupier will be given a reasonable period to submit any objections. Acting Minister (CCY) will consider every objection before making a final decision on whether to make a Preservation Order to place the Site under the protection of NHB as a National Monument.

• If a Preservation Order is issued, the Government intends to acquire the Site to safeguard it and preserve it in keeping with its historic significance and national importance. Upon acquisition, the Government will convert the Site into a public space, with one possible outcome being a heritage park. As for the buildings and structures on the Site, the Government will consider all options, including those that were proposed by the 2018 Ministerial Committee, and will make a decision well within this term of Government.

About the National Heritage Board

The National Heritage Board (“NHB”) was formed on 1 August 1993. As the custodian of Singapore’s heritage, NHB is responsible for telling the Singapore story, sharing the Singaporean experience and imparting our Singapore spirit.

NHB’s mission is to preserve and celebrate the shared heritage of our diverse communities, for the purpose of education, nation-building and cultural understanding. It manages the national museums and heritage institutions, safeguards and promotes intangible cultural heritage, and sets policies relating to heritage sites, monuments and the national collection. Through the national collection, NHB curates heritage programmes and presents exhibitions to connect the past, present and future generations of Singaporeans. NHB is a statutory board under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. Please visit www.nhb.gov.sg for more information.

About the Singapore Land Authority

The Singapore Land Authority (“SLA”) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Law. Its mission is to optimise land resources for the social and economic development of Singapore. SLA manages some 11,000 hectares of State land and about 2,600 State properties, which have largely been tenanted out for a variety of uses. It also manages land sales, leases, acquisitions and allocation, developing and marketing land-related information, and maintaining the national land information database through digitised land information services. Being the national land registration authority for property transactions, SLA issues and guarantees land titles in Singapore. It also manages and maintains the national land survey system, where boundaries or legal limits of properties are defined, based on a coordinated cadastre survey system. The use of geospatial information is also spearheaded by SLA through a national collaborative environment where geospatial data, policies and technologies are established and defined, thereby fostering innovation, knowledge and value creation for the Government, enterprises and community.

For more details, visit www.sla.gov.sg or find us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram @SingaporeLandAuthority.

¹ The PSM Advisory Board comprises experts in fields relevant to National Monuments such as history and architecture. Public officers on the PSM Advisory Board had recused themselves for this assessment.