On Monday (11 Nov), members of Singapore’s Parliament expressed concerns over the necessity of a new National Heritage Board (NHB) study assessing the historical and architectural significance of 38 Oxley Road.
The house, formerly owned by the late Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, has been the subject of extensive debate regarding its preservation and Lee Kuan Yew’s stated wishes for the property in his last will.
In particular, Progress Singapore Party (PSP) Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) Leong Mun Wai and Workers’ Party Member of Parliament (MP) Chua Kheng Wee Louis questioned the need for a renewed assessment, citing the 2018 findings of a Ministerial Committee.
Leong Mun Wai asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai, why another NHB study is necessary, given that the 2018 Ministerial Committee report already acknowledged the property’s “architectural, heritage, and historical significance” based on prior NHB research.
Similarly, Chua Kheng Wee Louis raised questions regarding the current study’s terms of reference, asking how they differ from those used by the Ministerial Committee’s investigation in 2016.
In a written response, Minister Edwin Tong clarified that the renewed NHB study is part of a formal assessment procedure initiated after a demolition application by the property’s owner, Lee Hsien Yang. The study aims to determine 38 Oxley Road’s “eligibility and suitability for preservation as a National Monument.”
Tong explained that while NHB’s 2018 research on the property’s significance was incorporated into the Ministerial Committee’s report, it was not presented to the Preservation of Sites and Monuments Advisory Board (PSM AB) for independent evaluation at the time.
He said, “While the research was incorporated into the Report, the Ministerial Committee concluded that no decision had to be made at that point in time, and all options would be kept open.” As a result, NHB’s findings did not receive a formal evaluation by the PSM AB.
Explaining the standard process, Tong stated, “The National Heritage Board (NHB) conducts research on buildings, sites or structures with the potential to be considered as a National Monument. Such research could cover technical aspects such as the historic, cultural, architectural, and national importance of the building, site or structure.”
He continued, “The research is then presented to the Preservation of Sites and Monuments Advisory Board (PSM AB), set up by NHB under Section 7 of the Preservation of Monuments Act, for their independent assessment, as part of the decision-making process on whether the building, site or structure should be preserved as a National Monument.”
This assessment, he noted, is based on “objective criteria, for all sites which have the potential to be preserved as a National Monument.”
“Based on the assessment, NHB would then provide a recommendation to the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth to decide whether to issue a Preservation Order for the Site under the Preservation of Monuments Act,” he clarified.
Minister Tong reiterated that the current NHB study “follows the usual assessment process before any building, site or structure can be preserved as a National Monument, and we will apply this accordingly to 38 Oxley Road.”
The initial 2018 Ministerial Committee report, made public in April 2018, presented a comprehensive range of preservation and redevelopment options for 38 Oxley Road to guide future government decisions without necessitating immediate action. The Committee’s mandate, set forth by the Cabinet in June 2016, covered three key areas: assessing the property’s architectural, heritage, and historical significance, understanding Lee Kuan Yew’s demolition preference, and creating “drawer plans” for future administrations.
Former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew had expressed his explicit wish for the property’s demolition but was compelled to consider alternatives after the People’s Action Party Cabinet— with his son, Lee Hsien Loong, recused from the decision-making process— unanimously informed him they would have the house gazetted as a National Monument.
While the renewed NHB assessment focuses on compiling the necessary information for a formal recommendation, some—including the Members of Parliament who filed the PQs—are questioning whether this new study merely duplicates earlier findings.
This is especially so given that the architectural and heritage significance of 38 Oxley Road had already been established by Alfred William Lermit and Johannes Westerhout, the architectural and survey firm initially involved in researching the site’s significance.
The debate over 38 Oxley Road highlights ongoing tensions around heritage preservation and individual property rights in Singapore. The ultimate decision on the property’s status remains with the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, pending recommendations from NHB and the PSM AB’s independent review.
Some observers speculate that the Ministry may delay a final decision on 38 Oxley Road’s status until after the upcoming general election, given public support for fulfilling Lee Kuan Yew’s last wish and contrasting views within the PAP Cabinet.
