Impact of "Long Island" Project along East Coast Parkway on Marine Habitats and Property Prices in the Area

5 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for National Development (a) what steps will be taken to ensure that construction on the "Long Island" reclaimed site will not significantly impact sensitive marine habitats like coral reefs; (b) whether a public consultation will be carried out; and (c) whether the nature groups have been or will be consulted from an early stage on this process.

6 Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked the Minister for National Development (a) what is the projected environmental impact, specifically concerning marine life and habitats, from the "Long Island" reclamation project; and (b) whether the Government will involve environmental groups and nature researchers in stakeholder consultations to assess and mitigate potential ecological consequences before commencing the project.

7 Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling asked the Minister for National Development in relation to the "Long Island" project (a) what have been the considerations for population and developmental planning along East Coast Parkway; (b) what is the longer-term impact on property prices in the area; and (c) whether significant traffic infrastructures will be required to facilitate smooth traffic flow adjoining the areas.

The Minister for National Development (Mr Desmond Lee): Mr Speaker, may I have your permission to give a combined reply to Parliamentary Question Nos 5, 6 and 7 in today's Order Paper?

Mr Speaker: Please proceed.

Mr Desmond Lee: Sir, my response will also cover matters raised in the question by Assoc Prof Jamus Lim¹, scheduled for the subsequent Sitting on 10 January. I invite the Member to seek clarifications if need be. If the question has been addressed, it may not be necessary to proceed with the question for future Sittings.

Sir, Dr Lim Wee Kiak and Mr Louis Ng have asked about the environmental impact of the "Long Island" reclamation.

As with all other land reclamation projects, before we proceed with the "Long Island" reclamation, detailed environmental studies will be conducted to assess the environmental impacts and to develop appropriate mitigating measures. These studies will take into account surrounding marine habitats, including intertidal flats and coral communities. We will also explore ways to incorporate nature-based solutions into the design of "Long Island" to minimise the environmental impact of the reclamation as we seek to tackle the effects of sea-level rise. We will engage the nature community, academics and researchers and the public for feedback on the environmental studies and mitigation measures before commencing reclamation work.

Miss Cheryl Chan asked about the considerations for and the impact of the planned developments at East Coast Parkway and "Long Island".

Our key considerations are the need for coastal protection for the low-lying East Coast area due to future sea-level rise and the need to create land to meet Singapore's longer-term developmental needs. "Long Island" will integrate coastal protection measures with our reclamation plans while strengthening our flood resilience and water supply. It offers an integrated solution to meet the multiple needs of future generations, including the building of new homes with a quality living environment, comprising coastal and reservoir parks and amenities, as well as creating new jobs. By reclaiming "Long Island" away from the current coastline, we can achieve coastal protection, the strengthening of our water supply and creation of new tracts of land, while retaining the existing East Coast Park largely as it is.

Given its scale, planning and implementing of "Long Island" will take a few decades. We are only at the very beginning of the process – kickstarting environmental and engineering studies to determine feasibility, as well as the shape and form of "Long Island". At a later stage, agencies will undertake further studies to ensure that the area is well developed – with quality housing, network of new green spaces integrated with East Coast Park and good transport connectivity.

We recognise that many people and stakeholders would be keen to understand and know more about the project and how it may potentially impact them – residents, businesses, nature and heritage groups, the sporting and water sports community, park users, maritime industry and many more groups. That is why we are starting our planning and engagement early.

Assoc Prof Jamus Lim asked about the source of reclamation sand. The import of reclamation sand to Singapore is conducted on a commercial basis and sand is imported from a variety of sources. Importers must abide by the laws and regulations of source countries. These include sourcing from legally permissible areas, obtaining the proper export documentation and permits from the relevant authorities, as well as complying with local environmental regulations governing proper extraction and transport within source countries. Where applicable, our agencies would check that the necessary environmental-related approvals from the source countries are in order before contractors are allowed to commence sand imports.

Mr Speaker: Mr Louis Ng.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon): Sir, I thank the Minister for the reply. I think there is particular concern about the source of the sand that we are using for this project. The Minister has clarified some of the questions about this earlier. But could I ask, one, whether we have a list of countries where we are hoping to import sand from; and two, whether we will have a responsible sourcing framework to evaluate the social and environmental impact of the imported sand?

Mr Desmond Lee: I thank the Member for his concern. We must ensure that as much as we study the impact of our "Long Island" plans on our own surroundings and environment, we also want to make sure that when we import material for reclamation and other works, that our commercial operators also act within the ambit of the laws and regulations of the source countries and minimise the impact of their operations. The list of countries where we import from, some of these are available online in terms of the quantity of sand.

But when we are talking about "Long Island", this is far into the future. Works are not going to proceed in the near term. So, this will be something that will be developed as the technical studies and implementation plans get greater granularity.

Mr Speaker: Assoc Prof Jamus Lim.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim (Sengkang): I thank the Minister for his response. If I may just push a little bit, my understanding is that this sand is typically procured by JTC Corporation – I am willing to stand corrected on that. What are the mechanisms to ensure that JTC complies with the stipulations that the Ministry sets forth?

And secondly, if I may just follow up from the Member Louis Ng's question: what is the broader framework? I think what we want to avoid is a situation where we get just all the valid paperwork, but we violate the spirit of acquiring sand in an ethical fashion. And I think that is, ultimately, what he may be suggesting when it comes to a broader framework for acquisition of sand.

Mr Desmond Lee: I think the Member made very sensible points, along with Member Louis Ng. As I said earlier, JTC and other agencies that procure sand, procure it on a commercial basis from operators. There are requirements in the specifications for tender that the operators who import the sand comply with certain rules and regulations, particularly those of the source country. And the source countries will have their own regulators. But on Singapore's end, the entity that procures the sand will, where necessary, do the necessary checks to ensure that the rules and regulations and the paperwork are in compliance.

Mr Speaker: Mr Dennis Tan.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong (Hougang): Thank you, Mr Speaker. Can I ask the Minister, when are the environmental studies going to be commenced and how long would they be expected to take?

Mr Desmond Lee: Sir, the technical and environmental studies are expected to take around five years.

Mr Speaker: Ms He Ting Ru.

Ms He Ting Ru (Sengkang): Thank you, Mr Speaker. Just one supplementary question for the Minister. I think the Minister mentioned earlier that there are some checks that are done by the agencies with their counterparts overseas, from source countries, on where the sand comes from.

I just want to understand, how often are these checks done and what triggers their being carried out; whether it is through tip-offs or whether it is a regular spot check or audit? How do they actually decide when to carry out these checks to make sure that all the regulations have been complied with?

And then, the follow-on thought process from that is, whether or not our current regime is strict and enough to make sure that all these things, like illegal mining and smuggling of sand, do not take place as and when our counterparts export the sand to us?

Mr Desmond Lee: Well, as I have mentioned earlier, the tender specifications and contractual requirements require compliance with local laws and regulations and certain standards that are set out and expected by the agencies procuring the sand. And the agencies will look out for and receive information from a variety of sources, if there is a sense of non-compliance with any of these contractual terms as well as with regulatory groups.

Mr Speaker: Miss Cheryl Chan.

Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling (East Coast): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I have got two supplementary questions for the Minister.

The first one is with regard to the population. While there is reclamation and there will be additional land mass at the area, I think the East Coast residents would be concerned, partly because there is already a Bayshore Build-To-Order (BTO) project that is upcoming. While the "Long Island" project may be decades out, it would increase the entire population around the area. So, that is the reason behind my question. What is the population framework control that is thought behind this?

The second supplementary question is, the Minister has explained that this entire project planning and implementation will take several decades. So, the whole idea is there will be newer technologies around coastal protection that may come up over time. How are we going to integrate some of these newer technologies, in terms of the protection around the "Long Island" project or along the East Coast, so that we will not just put all the expenditure only on one project, particularly around the "Long Island" project?

Mr Desmond Lee: I thank the Member for her questions. Let me start with the second question first. In 2021, we started a series of site-specific surveys. We know that sea levels are expected to rise up to 1.15 metres by the end of this century, above mean sea levels. This came out in the latest report, version 3 of Singapore's National Climate Change study. And if it coincides with storm surges and high tide, by as much as four to five metres.

So, certainly with some one-third of Singapore's land being below five metres above mean sea level, this is an existential challenge. And not doing anything about it is not an option.

At the same time, we have to plan early and well in advance, harnessing the various technologies that are available to tackle sea level rise.

When we did the site-specific study, we focused on areas which face some of the greatest risks of flood inundation from sea level rise. We started with the city to the East Coast; we are also working on Jurong Island, the Jurong West area and also the northwestern coast.

When we did the study for City-East Coast, essentially, the broad mitigation measures revolved around two possible measures. One was the "Long Island", where you reclaim and build land higher at the distance from the existing coast. So, this is, effectively, the indicative plan for the "Long Island" reclamation profile for coastal protection. The other is actually what I call the "Long Wall" concept, where you take a stretch of 14 kilometres from city to East Coast, along the existing East Coast, and you build a wall, roughly around three metres tall, with 12 pumping stations and tidal gates along the whole stretch.

So, these are the two broad concepts. The specific technologies – whether you are pumping, whether you have coastal walls, whether you have nature-based solutions incorporated – these are the technical details that will be studied over the course of the next five years. So, that is in response to the Member's second question.

In response to the first question, starting from this year, we will engage all stakeholders, all Singaporeans, including residents that the Member has spoken about, who are concerned about the plans for the future "Long Island". As part of the Draft Master Plan 2025, we consult Singaporeans on the detailed concepts and ideas around various parts of Singapore, flowing through from the Long-Term Plan or Concept Plan which we concluded two years ago in 2022 and 2023.

That will be an opportunity for residents, Singaporeans and stakeholders to have a better sense of the broad concepts and ideas that we may have.

But broadly, the purpose of "Long Island" is: first and foremost, coastal protection; second, enhance our water resilience; third, create more land and opportunities for future generations of Singaporeans; and lastly, to keep the East Coast Park largely as it is.

In terms of the master planning of the future land that will be generated over the course of the decades ahead of us as we implement the "Long Island" project, that will be subject to detailed planning; and certainly, detailed consultation with stakeholders, including the Member's residents.

Mr Speaker: Last supplementary question. Mr Louis Ng.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: Thank you, Sir. If I could go back just to the issue of sand again. I understand that with the sand imports, we are reliant on compliance with the local laws, but I think the concern is that the local laws might not be as strong as we hope for them to be. And so, the call is for our own responsible sourcing framework, and for this framework to be made public as well, so that we are assured that the import of the sand will not affect the social and environmental conditions in other countries.

Mr Desmond Lee: Certainly, we have a mechanism in place in the contractual procurement processes, to ensure that rules and regulations are complied with. Certainly, the source countries have their own rules that they implement to protect their local communities.

Commercial operators have an obligation, both under the laws of the source countries, as well as the procurement framework under which we procure sand. And we will certainly continue to find ways to continue to improve the processes, so that we ensure that the sourcing is done well and that the environmental impact here in Singapore is also mitigated.