Singapore takes possession of Lee Kuan Yew’s 38 Oxley Road home for conservation
NHB will assess how the site can be developed even as Lee Hsien Yang says ‘no amount of sophistry’ can disguise his father’s demolition wish
In the interim, necessary maintenance works would be carried out as required, and there would be no public access to the site, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) and the National Heritage Board (NHB) said in a joint statement.
The possession of the property came even as Lee Hsien Yang, the younger of Lee Kuan Yew’s sons, on Friday reiterated his view that his father was clear he wanted the home to be demolished.
The site was also where events took place that shaped the country’s independence movement and national history.
In January, the SLA and the NHB announced that 38 Oxley Road was gazetted for acquisition.
The government agencies said then that the site would take into account its market value as of the date of the gazette of the acquisition and any claims by parties involved.
Preserving and acquiring the 38 Oxley Road site means that it cannot be redeveloped for residential, commercial or other private uses.