Petition
Appeal to Save the Sungei Ulu Pandan Woodland
BG Lee Hsien Loong
Prime Minister
Republic of Singapore
Date 11th February 2008
Dear Prime Minister,
Attached is a petition signed by a total of 1,330 people, citizens, permanent residents and foreign talent from all walks of life, to appeal that the Sg Ulu Pandan Woodland be left as it is in its natural state. This is a petition co-ordinated by a group of people/volunteers who are residing in the housing estates around the said woodland and working in their own personal capacity and not on behalf of any formal organisation.
We are alarmed and deeply concerned by the HDB plans to develop one-third of the woodland between Ghim Moh and Dover MRT Station for a cluster of housing blocks. Weunderstand the need to replace the old HDB blocks in Ghim Moh, but we strongly urge that this project be re-located elsewhere outside the woodland bounded by Clementi Road, Commonwealth Avenue West and the Sg Ulu Pandan Recreational Connector. If the housing project is allowed to proceed as planned, the destruction of the woodland will be a great loss to our community and the nation. The Sungei Ulu Pandan area will never be the same again. Our appeal and disapproval of the development plans there are shared by many residents in the communities of Dover, Mount Sinai, Clementi, Holland, Ghim Moh and Ulu Pandan.
The proposed en-bloc housing project is not large, and its relocation will pose only a minimal disruption and cost to the HDB. However, this actionwill ensure the preservation of a significant “green lung” with its beautiful trees and rich bird life that has greatly benefited the larger community that lives, works, plays and relaxes in the area. It is also uniquely placed along a river that has been earmarked for future enhancement under the recently announced Water Bodies program. For these and many other reasons, we truly value the presence and continuedexistence of this little remaining woodland and its mature ecosystem that has survived despite the dynamicbuilding development in Singapore over the past decades. We appeal for the preservation of this uniquely Singaporean natural heritage.
Singaporehas made rapid and laudable economic progress and has achieved the status of a First World nation. Now, with the compelling scientific evidence and world-wide recognition of the awesome threat of global warming, we believe passionately that the time has come to divert more resources and efforts into conserving our remaining natural greenery and habitats with its wildlife, both inside and outside the existing public parks and nature reserves. Public opinion has undergone a huge change in recent years on the value of our trees and natural spaces. People now understand that trees are the great purifiers of the world and there is an urgent need to preserve them.
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This is a small housing project, and there are other suitable sites in the Ghim Moh area that have been suggested and could be used, including re-using the existing sites. Surely all alternative brown-field sites should be used before using a green-field site entailing so much destruction. We feel these are other possible sites should be explored more thoroughly and seriously.
More specifically, our justifications for making this appeal and endorsed by the signatories of this petition are as follows:
1)The woodland as a whole is a substantial green lung in the area, and also provides beautiful, soothing and refreshing green scenery to:
a)residents living around the area;
b)joggers, strollers, cyclists, who use the Sg Ulu Pandan Recreational Connector along the northern edge;
c)motorists, bus and MRT commuters who pass on the road along the Woodland;
d)nature lovers who visit the woodland to enjoy and appreciate the birdlife and other wildlife.
2)The woodland, especially the eastern sector from the Dover MRT Station to Ghim Moh, is very dense and mature and is the haunt of many species of birds (36 species, migrant and resident), of which 12 are typical forest species (info from Nature Society’s website:
3)The woodland nearer to the Dover MRT Station is the nesting site for a pair of the nationally endangered Changeable Hawk Eagle, which will be adversely affected by the projected housing development (info from Nature Society’s website:
4)The woodland fits perfectly into the nature corridor along the south/Kent Ridge, and complements and enhances the proposed One-north and NUS UniversityTown at Warren development.
The 1,330 signatures in this petition have been collected injust six weeks by various concerned volunteers during their spare time. This is only a sample of what we believe is the massive support for the saving of the woodland that could be collected over a longer period of time.
Most of the signatures (1,075 signatures) are from users of the Ulu Pandan Recreational Connector and residents in the housing estates contiguous to and around the woodland, Dover, Mount Sinai, Clementi, Holland, Ghim Moh Ulu Pandan, FaberHeights and Sunset Way. The rest (255 signatures) are from people outside the area mentioned abovewho are concerned about the loss of woodland from Singapore as a whole. We believe we can have development without destruction. We appeal for urgent attention and action as some initial clearing works have already begun.
Dear PM, we are extremely heartened to hear that you have made a brave commitment to the thrust for sustainable development by forming the National Committee for Sustainable Development and have also pledged to the world that Singapore will play its part to contribute to alleviation of the crisis of global warming. Here we strongly urge that Singapore kicks off this commitment by preserving whatever woodland and forests that we have left as carbon sinks. That indeed will be a shining example to the world from the little red dot that is Singapore.
We appeal to you to give our petition your kind and urgent consideration and save our precious woodland as survey work has already started at the site.
Yours faithfully,
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Signed on behalf of petitioners & co-ordinators by:
Dr. L. Cartwright-Taylor (PR)
(Contact Person)
E-mail Address:
Tel: 98206403
Address: 51, Mount Sinai Drive, # 10-02, Singapore 277107
List of co-ordinators
Dr, Tang Wai MengE-mail:
Tel: 96261692
Address: 16, Jalan Kelabu Asat
Singapore 278209 / Ms. Ling Jennie
E-mail:
Tel: 98806626
Address: Block 103, Clementi Street 14
# 07-117, Singapore 120103
Dr. Kennedy Chew Khien Mien
E-mail:
Tel: 96713787
Address: 31, Mount Sinai Rise,
#23-07, Singapore 276953 / Mr. Joseph Owyong
E-mail:
Tel: 93631396
Address: 22, Dover Crescent # 06-352
Singapore 130022
Mr. Zainal Jelani
E-mail:
Tel; 94574864
Address: Apt 109 # 03-29
Clementi Street 11, Singapore 120109
Cc: Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, (Minister Mentor); Mr Mah Bow Tan (Minister of National Development); Dr. Amy Khor (Mayor of South-West CDC); Dr Teo Ho Pin (Mayor of North-West CDC).
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