Environmental and Biodiversity Studies of Forest along Sungei Serangoon in Light of Construction Works

25 Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for National Development whether any Environmental Impact Assessment has been carried out or any Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan has been put in place prior to the start of the construction works for the bus depot at the forest along Sungei Serangoon between Tampines Road and Buangkok East Drive.

26 Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for National Development whether URA would consider conducting baseline biodiversity studies of the forest along Sungei Serangoon from Tampines Road to Serangoon East Dam to study the biodiversity of the area for future planning purposes before any other project is approved on the site.

The Minister of State for National Development (Mr Alvin Tan) (for the Minister for National Development): Mr Speaker, Sir, may I have your permission to answer Parliamentary Question Nos 25 and 26 in today's Order Paper together?

Mr Speaker: Please go ahead.

Mr Alvin Tan: Sir, as part of our planning process, developments which may cause significant environmental impact must undergo environmental studies, including baseline biodiversity assessments, before they are allowed to proceed. This applies to any future developments in the Sungei Serangoon area.

The bus depot will be constructed on a brownfield site comprising non-native vegetation and is not near any sensitive nature areas. As such, the potential impact on sensitive habitats was assessed to be limited and an environmental study was not required.

To mitigate any localised environmental impact, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will put in place earth control and wildlife management measures during the construction.

Mr Speaker: Mr Tan.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong (Hougang): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Minister of State for his answers. Sir, a number of my residents, especially those living in Kingsford Waterbay condo, asking whether the Government can relocate the proposed bus depot site from the current position, which is in the middle of the forested area between Buangkok East Drive and Tampines Road, to shift to the area at or around the current heavy vehicle park along Tampines Road. I will share some of the reasons for this consideration.

Firstly, I note from the Minister of State's answer was that the bus depot site is away from residential area, if I heard him correctly. Actually, at the at the beginning of construction, it appears that the site is directly opposite Kingsford Waterbay condo, as well as Cape View HDB Estate, and another condo next to Kingsford Waterbay. If you are looking from the condo across the Sungai Serangoon, it is actually much nearer. And so, some of the feedback given by my residents include noise and dust disamenity. In fact, at this beginning, onset of the construction, and when the bus depot is eventually constructed, there will also be noise and dust disamenity, bearing in mind that bus depot operations typically end late in the evening and start early in the morning.

Mr Speaker: Mr Tan, we are approaching the end of Question Time. Do give the Minister of State some time to reply to you.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: Yes, Sir. Please do indulge me, because these are very important concerns. I will hurry on next. The forested area in this eastern bank of the Sungei Serangoon is a nice, forested area grown over the last 20 over years, notwithstanding the Government regarding it as a brownfield site. So, as per my previous appeals and my previous Parliamentary Questions in 2023, this is the only remaining significant track of green spaces on the eastern half of Singapore of such a size, literally from Tampines Road to Pasir Ris Industrial Drive 1 and to Serangoon East Dam. By preserving it, we will allow continual connectivity for migratory birds to fly between the Northern Islands and other parts of Singapore. It will also allow the flora and fauna, and even the wildlife that may dwell in these green spaces, including migratory birds in their annual migration journeys between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres as they fly through Singapore —

Mr Speaker: Mr Tan, are you coming to the question? We are actually at the end of Question Time.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: Yes, Sir. One last point. The redevelopment of Paya Lebar Airbase site into a huge Housing and Development Board estate – I believe 800 hectares, 150,000 homes – just next to this area to this area will have significant environmental —

Mr Speaker: You should be asking your question. Mr Tan, Mr Tan. I have given you a lot of leeway. We are actually at the end of Question Time.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: Sorry, Sir.

Mr Speaker: So, I will have to cut you off there and allow the Minister of State to answer to give a short reply. We are out of Question Time.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: I am sorry, Sir.

Mr Speaker: Minister of State.

Mr Alvin Tan: Sir, I will give as short a reply as possible. I wanted to clarify that I did not say to the Member that it was near the residential sites. I in fact said that it was not near any sensitive nature areas. So, just a point of clarification.

The other part was also that this site has been zoned for industrial use since 1998 and it is intended to be developed into a new node in the area to provide for jobs closer to homes and for residents of the nearby towns such as Hougang, Sengkang and future residents as well.

This was also briefed to the Members of Parliament (MPs) back in February 2018 so that MPs are aware of this.

With regard to the potential disamenities as a result of the construction of the bus dept, LTA will work with the contractor to mitigate any of these. And I understand that there are already discussions about how to mitigate disamenities arising from the construction.

1.02 pm

Mr Speaker: Order. End of Question Time. Minister Indranee, I believe you have a clarification to make.

[Pursuant to Standing Order No 22(3), provided that Members had not asked for questions standing in their names to be postponed to a later Sitting day or withdrawn, written answers to questions not reached by the end of Question Time are reproduced in the Appendix.]