NHB to study if Oxley Road site is worthy of preservation; all options should be kept open, says Edwin Tong

SINGAPORE: The National Heritage Board (NHB) will study the Oxley Road site to assess if it is worthy of being preserved as a national monument. 
It will assess if the site has national historical, heritage and architectural significance, the board said in a press release on Thursday (Oct 24), noting that Singaporeans have a “diverse range of views” on the matter. 
If it makes an order to preserve the site, NHB said the government “will have the time needed” to consider the different options identified in the 2018 ministerial committee report on 38 Oxley Road. 
The 2018 report concluded that while the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s preference was for the building to be demolished, he was prepared to accept other options – if it was refurbished and kept in a habitable state while protecting his family’s privacy, said the board.
The late Mr Lee’s youngest son Mr Lee Hsien Yang said on Oct 15 that he would apply to demolish the house, days after his sister Dr Lee Wei Ling died. 
According to NHB, he applied to the Urban Redevelopment Authority on Oct 21 to carry out the demolition works. 
“But making such a move now will rule out a proper and full consideration of the above options,” said NHB in the press release. 
Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday that “we do not think that any option should be precluded, or closed off, at this stage”.  
“It is important that we approach the matter with an open mind, as well as keep our options open. The passage of time will help us better appreciate the matter in its proper context, with the benefit of some hindsight.” 
The study will be conducted by NHB’s preservation of sites and monuments advisory board, which includes experts from various sectors. 
NHB will then submit its recommendation to the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth to decide whether to issue a preservation order for the site under the Preservation of Monuments Act. 
If the minister intends to preserve the site, NHB will notify the owner and occupier to submit any objections “within a reasonable period” before the minister makes a final decision. 
If the government decides to preserve the site as a national monument, all options for its fate will remain open to current and future governments, said NHB.
A preservation order can be amended or revoked and no rezoning or alternative use of the site will be allowed until a decision is made in the future, it added. 
Dr Lee, Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s only daughter, continued living at 38 Oxley Road after his death in 2015. In a Facebook post, Mr Lee Hsien Yang said his decision was in line with his parents’ wishes, and that he was now the sole legal owner of the house.
The house is associated with key events in Singapore’s history. Founding fathers such as Dr Goh Keng Swee and Dr Toh Chin Chye held meetings in its basement dining room in the 1950s, which led to the formation of today’s ruling People’s Action Party (PAP). 
In 2017, then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivered a ministerial statement in parliament after his siblings accused him of using his influence in government to drive a personal agenda. A ministerial committee was later convened to consider the fate of the house. 
The 2018 report by the committee assessed that the house has architectural, heritage and historical significance. 
The report also laid out several options – retaining the entire building, retaining only the basement dining room, or demolishing the building fully but designating the site for alternative use as, for example, a park or heritage centre. 
“These options are not exhaustive. The intention is for a future government to consider these, and other options that could emerge later, and make an informed and considered decision in the fullness of time, taking into consideration the wishes of Mr Lee Kuan Yew,” NHB said on Thursday. 
Mr Lee Kuan Yew had on several occasions publicly expressed his wish for the house to be demolished after his death. He said in a letter to the Cabinet in October 2010 that it should “not be kept as a kind of relic for people to tramp through” and that it has “no merit as architecture”. 
In his book Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going, published in January 2011, he was quoted as saying: “Because of my house the neighbouring houses cannot build high. Now demolish my house and change the planning rules, go up, the land value will go up.”
He reiterated his stance in July 2011 in another letter to the Cabinet, but was met with opposition from ministers when he asked them about it.
Subsequently, in another letter to the Cabinet in December 2011, Mr Lee said he had reflected on the matter after the Cabinet was unanimous in saying the property should not be demolished; and that he had decided that if it was to be preserved, work needed to be carried out.
The house should have its foundations reinforced and the whole building refurbished, and then be let out for people to live in, as an empty building will “soon decline and decay”, he said. 
Yet in his final will executed in 2013, Mr Lee returned to saying he wanted the house to be demolished, and if that were not possible, the property should be closed to everyone except family and descendants. This last will also allowed Dr Lee to stay there as long as she wished.