Debated in Parliament on 19 Jan 2015.
Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for National Development whether there is a coordinated national plan to preserve (i) open green spaces, green belts and green lungs in Singapore; and (ii) the nature and rustic feel of the smaller surrounding islands such as Pulau Ubin.
Greening has always been a key strategy in our planning and development of Singapore. This is because we see the value of greenery in improving the quality of life for our people. It also beautifies our city. Implementing it requires a whole-of-Government approach. Planning for greenery is, therefore, a closely coordinated effort involving multiple agencies.
Today, we have set aside close to a tenth of our land for Nature Reserves and parks. For a small nation, this is a significant commitment. Given our land constraints, we have sought practical and innovative solutions to safeguard sufficient green spaces and integrate greenery and biodiversity into our urban environment. These comprise our Nature Reserves, Nature Areas, parks, Park Connectors, street-side planting, greenery along our waterways and skyrise greenery. Green spaces are safeguarded in the Parks and Waterbodies Plan under URA's Master Plan.
In the 2014 Master Plan, a key focus is to provide more green spaces and to improve accessibility to them. To enhance liveability, we aim to have 90% of our residents living within 400 metres of a park by 2030. To enable our residents to enjoy the benefits of nature,
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we will be developing 180 kilometres of Nature Ways and 400 kilometres of Park Connectors, including 150 kilometres of the Round Island Route, by 2030. The Rail Corridor will be retained as a continuous green corridor and public space that connect people and places. We will also be adding new nature parks with lush vegetation and these include Chestnut Nature Park, Windsor Nature Park and Thomson Nature Park.
We also value the natural heritage of our coastal and marine areas. We have set up the Sisters’ Islands Marine Park for the public to enjoy the rich marine life there. Plans are ongoing to establish Coney Island as a rustic regional park with recreational facilities amidst rehabilitated coastal beach vegetation. Under "The Ubin Project", various agencies are working closely with and consulting the public extensively on ways to enhance Pulau Ubin’s natural and rustic charm for future generations. Several initiatives, such as shoreline restoration, habitat enhancement, species recovery and a new centre for education and research, will be progressively implemented over the next few years.
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