SINGAPORE IMPROVEMENT TRUST
INTRODUCTION
Present indications
Extracts reprinted with Permission from the 1952 Report compiled by Mr. J.M. Fraser, AR.I.B.A., M.T.PL, AMI. Struct. E.. Manager of the Singapore Improvement Trust.
be borne in mind when criticism is HOUSING PROGRESS made of the Trust's rental policy. The are that the Trust makes no profit on Housing, and Early in the year, housing progress Trust will continue in existence for in fact over the past three years it was retarded by a complete recasting a long time yet, and during the past has made a considerable loss which of Programme No. 5 which was ren- year it has in fact assumed further has had to be made up from its gen- dered necessary by the high building responsibilities in connection with eral funds. The accounts will show costs then prevailing. The Trust, Crown Lands and reverted property. how its balances are rapidly diminish- with the approval of Government, and is acting for Government in the ing. laying out and development of Squatter Resettlement areas. During STATUTORY PLANNING 1952, much of the new work which has been started in recent years had been consolidated and the Trust is now firmly established as the Agent for Government for all matters con- nected with Planning, Housing and Land use.
LEGISLATION
decided that the quality of its hous- ing must be reduced and experiments were made with prototype designs which cut the construction and ac- The report of the General Improve- commodation standards down to the ment Plan Department gives details minimum allowed by the Low Cost of the amount of statutory planning Building Code. work carried out and 1952 has been age of two bedroom flat was adopted. A three-storey aver- a record year in this respect. A com- built of load bearing hollow blocks pletely new system for the submis- with the cheapest joinery and finish- slon and approval of plans and pro- ings, and a waiver of the by-laws was posals under section 58 and 59 of the obtained to allow for 8 feet ceiling Ordinance was instituted during the heights. There has unfortunately been no latter part of the year in response
In order to conserve land and build progress with regard to Planning or to representations made by the Singa- Housing Legislation in 1952. The pore Ratepayers' Association and the to the maximum density, a type of trust still functions as a Planning Institute of Architects of Malaya. The seven-storey flat was designed for Authority with the powers given by new system is working reasonably well sites with good foundations. the Singapore Improvement Ordin- in spite of the inadequacy of the Or- are reinforced concrete framed with ance, somewhat inadequately rein- dinance and by the end of the year panel hollow forced by the amendments of Decem- a large backlog of work had been minimum type of joinery and finish-
cleared up.
ber 1951, which give the power and duty to prepare à Diagnostic Survey and Master Plan. The machinery to make a Master Plan work is still miss- ing. The Singapore Improvement Bill, 1951, on which so much time was spent, appears to be a dead letter, and there is still no Legislation for Housing. Little progress can be made with real planning till such power is given. The Trust still struggles with out-of-date legal machinery which is cumbersome, expensive and only par- tially effective.
The Trust is recognised as the Housing Authority for the Colony, buc it has no Housing Ordinance. Govern- ment provides the money and the Trust builds and manages its Housing Estates.
FINANCE
These
block walls and the
ings. Revised Building Programme No. 5 was then prepared to cover a PLANNING OF CROWN AND TRUST loan of $21 million and these two
LAND.
types form the bulk of this Pro- It provides for 2,997 flats The Trust acts as adviser to Gov- gramme.
More than half this ernment on planning matters affect- and 22 shops. ing Crown land and there is constant Programme had been put in hand liaison between the Land Office and before the end of the year. The first the General Improvement Plan De- project of 222 three-storey flats on a and Diagnostic Survey prepared site was commenced in July, partment
are being examined 1952. and should be completed by the every day in connection with aliena- end of April, 1953. tion and development of Crown land. The number of houses completed and in particular, advice has been given on the following developments during 1952 was 1.823 plus 63 shops. during 1952:-
Team. Plans
(1)
(2) (3)
(4)
and the number under construction at the end of the year was 1.742 flats and 26 shops.
Kallang Basin Development Scheme:
The cost of the three-storey type Shenton Way Building Scheme: with site preparation, roads, sewers Telok Ayer Basin Layout and and services complete will be between Development;
$5,400 and $6,000, and the seven-storey Squatter Resettlement Areas. type between $6,300 and $6.900.
HOUSING MANAGEMENT
ENGINEERING WORK
Funds for Housing are provided by Government Loans and up to the be- ginning of 1952, $22-1 2 million had The General Improvement Plan The new Estates Manager. Mr. Lee, then been provided on the basis of Department carries out all the site arrived in Singapore in March 1952. repayment in sixty years at 3 per cent preparation work for housing pro- Mr. Loe has applied himself assiduous- interest. A further loan of $16 mil- jects and also the earthworks and ly to the most difficult task of re- lion was approved in 1952 at a rate drainage required for the formation arranging the work of the Depart- of interest of 4 per cent, repayable of ring roads on the General Im- ment at a time when new work con- over sixty years. A Building Pro- provement Plan. The Department tinued to pile in, and a vast number gramme, No. 5. was approved in 1952 has two qualified planning engineers of difficult and distasteful problems and this will require an additional on the staff, and contracts for this required to be settled. loan of $21 million during 1953. The work are constantly in progress. responsibility for repayment of these Housing programmes cannot be car-
First there was the problem of cor- loans lies with the Trust, and rents ried out till sites are prepared and ruption and forgery which had been have to be fixed which will cover all the Trust has now no ready made under investigation by the C.I.D. for outgoings, including loan repayment. sites. All the land now available re- about three years and culminated in No subsidies are available to ease this quires considerable earthwork pre- sixty-six tenants being given notices burden, and the Trust has to balance paration and drainage before build- to quit. It was revealed that there Its Budget. It is therefore necessary ing can commence and the speed of was considerable business being car- for the Trust to charge rentals which the building programme depends on ried on by brokers. some of them are truly economic and this should this preparation work.
Trust tenants, who were extracting
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