Fernvale Chinese temple site fetches highest bid of S$6m
Fernvale Link in Sengkang. Sheng Hong Temple Association, one of the bidders, said the 2,000sqm site at Fernvale Link is attractive because it is located in a new town, making it convenient for nearby residents. Photo: Jaslin Goh
SINGAPORE — Four religious welfare associations have bid for a site in Sengkang that had sparked controversy over a commercial columbarium that was to be built there.
At the close of the tender exercise — called after an earlier tender agreement was terminated — yesterday, four organisations had placed bids to build a Chinese temple on the site. These are Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society, Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation, Lorong Koo Chye Sheng Hong Temple Association, and Peng Hong Association.
Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society topped the group with a bid of S$6 million, while Tzu Chi Foundation, Sheng Hong Temple Association and Peng Hong Association bid S$4.58 million, S$3.88 million and S$3.03 million, respectively. Of the four, only Peng Hong had bid in the first exercise. The highest bid was more than the winning S$5.2 million bid in the first exercise.
Sheng Hong Temple Association said the 2,000sqm site at Fernvale Link is attractive because it is located in a new town, making it convenient for nearby residents. “We hope to build a temple with multi-purpose functions, like a 600-seater banquet hall which can hold large ceremonies,” said the association’s honorary secretary Tan Thiam Lye.
The controversy erupted last year when residents of Fernvale Lea, an upcoming public housing development, had learnt a columbarium would be built next to their homes on the site, which was meant for a Chinese temple.
In addition, it was later revealed that the company that won the bid for the site, Eternal Pure Land, was a commercial entity with no affiliation to any religious organisation. National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan told Parliament in January that the officers assessing the tender had assumed the company had religious affiliations.
This led to the Government deciding to terminate its agreement with Eternal Pure Land. It then put the site up for re-tender, with the Ministry of National Development acknowledging that the firm’s bid was “not in line with the Government’s plan for the site”. For the re-tender, the Housing and Development Board included provisions, so only religious groups could bid.
Asked whether he was worried that the flap over the first bid would cast a shadow over the new development, Sheng Hong’s Mr Tan was optimistic residents will overlook it.
“Every local area needs a temple, a church, a place of religious worship. It’s only time that they have their own temple too,” he said. He also felt it was encouraging that the Government appeared to be giving priority to religious associations for such sites.
A spokesperson from Tzu Chi Foundation declined to speak to TODAY, saying only that it hoped to serve the community if it was awarded the bid. The other organisations could not be reached for comment.
