Reason for Limiting Central Management of Environmental Impact Assessment Pilot to HDB and JTC Projects

27 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for National Development (a) what is the rationale for NParks to limit the pilot approach to centrally manage environmental impact assessment studies to HDB and JTC development projects; and (b) whether the Ministry can provide an indicative timeline on when this approach will be rolled out to all Government projects.

Mr Desmond Lee: Centralising the management of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) consultancy services has various benefits, such as raising standards across the industry and consolidating information on Singapore's biodiversity. Given the scale of Government projects and that the centralisation entails agencies restructuring their roles and processes, we will begin by piloting this approach for new HDB and JTC development projects requiring EIAs.

The pilot will cover a sizeable number and mix of project types, including residential and industrial developments. When the pilot concludes in end 2024, we will review the outcomes before deciding whether and when to scale the centralisation further.