38 Oxley Road site set to be gazetted as national monument, for possible use as heritage park

SINGAPORE: The government intends to gazette the 38 Oxley Road site – the family home of Singapore's founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew – as a national monument, saying it will balance the need to preserve a location of historic significance with respect for Mr Lee's wishes for privacy.

Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo said on Monday (Nov 3) that he will gazette the site after considering recommendations from the National Heritage Board (NHB) and its Preservation of Sites and Monuments Advisory Board, which assessed the site as worthy of preservation.

If the site is preserved and acquired, it will be converted into a public space, with one possible outcome being a heritage park, said NHB and the Singapore Land Authority (SLA). This means the site cannot be redeveloped for residential, commercial or other private uses.

"Regardless of the option taken, the government will respect Mr Lee Kuan Yew's wishes, and will remove all traces of Mr Lee's and his family's private living spaces from the buildings," NHB and SLA said.

The announcement comes more than a year after Mr Lee's son Lee Hsien Yang applied to demolish the house on Oct 21 last year. The government responded at the time by saying it would assess whether the site merited preservation as a national monument.

NHB and SLA said on Monday that preserving the site does not necessarily mean preserving the buildings in their current form.

“The relevant authorities have not had the chance to assess the state of the buildings and structures within the site. If access is obtained, the authorities will undertake a detailed study to consider how to proceed,” the agencies said.

A final decision on the site's future will be made “well within this term of government”. The current government was sworn in on May 23 this year, with a term of up to five years. 

All options will be considered, including those outlined in a 2018 ministerial committee report, such as partial or full demolition of the buildings and structures.

The site's owner – 38 Oxley Road Pte Ltd – has been given written notice of the intention to make a preservation order and has until Nov 17 to submit any objections to the authorities. 

A check of Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority records shows that Mr Lee Hsien Yang is the sole shareholder of the company, while his son Li Huanwu is registered as the director. 

Mr Lee Hsien Yang slammed Monday’s announcement, saying that the ruling government had “chosen to trample on Lee Kuan Yew’s unwavering wish to demolish his private house”.

“He regarded his whole house as private and wanted it demolished in its entirety,” he said in a Facebook post shortly after 11pm, adding that the order to gazette the house as a national monument effectively rejected his demolition application.

“The Founders Memorial is already a huge and expensive monument,” said Mr Lee Hsien Yang, referring to the yet-to-be-opened S$335 million project that aims to commemorate Singapore's founding leaders and generation.

"Lee Kuan Yew was opposed to monuments. The PAP disrespects Lee Kuan Yew’s legacy and values by choosing to gazette 38 Oxley Road as a monument.”

NHB and SLA said Mr Neo will consider every objection before making a final decision on making a preservation order. There have been no past cases of objections to an intended gazette.

ACQUISITION AND COMPENSATION

If the preservation order is issued and the government proceeds with acquiring the site, the compensation amount will be determined in accordance with the Land Acquisition Act, taking into account the market value as of the date of acquisition.

SLA will appoint a professional private valuer to determine the market value.

To avoid any conflicts of interest, public servants on the Preservation of Sites and Monuments Advisory Board recused themselves from the assessment of the 38 Oxley Road site. The board typically includes representatives from the Singapore Land Authority, Building and Construction Authority and Urban Redevelopment Authority.

Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong also recused himself from all government decisions on the property, informing Cabinet of his decision on Apr 15, 2015.

In response to queries from CNA, the press secretary to the senior minister said: "SM Lee has recused himself from the matter since 2017. He has no comment to add."

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SITE

The decision to preserve the 38 Oxley Road site comes nearly a decade after Mr Lee's death in March 2015 and follows years of debate over the property's fate.

Built in the late 19th century, the site is closely associated with key events in Singapore’s history. The basement dining room hosted meetings that led to the formation of the People’s Action Party, Singapore's ruling party since 1959.

"The site bore witness to discussions and pivotal decisions that shaped the course of Singapore's history to become an independent nation," said Mr Neo on Monday. 

"The intention to gazette the site as a national monument recognises its historic significance and national importance. This will preserve a key part of our independence journey for future generations." 

The NHB first announced in October 2024 that it would assess whether the site merited preservation as a national monument. The study was conducted by the board's Preservation of Sites and Monuments Advisory Board, which includes experts from various fields.

Preserving the 38 Oxley Road site was one of the options outlined by a ministerial committee in its April 2018 report, which aimed to guide future government decisions on the property.