NHB will study site of 38 Oxley Road to assess significance for preservation & keep options open

The National Heritage Board (NHB) will commence a study of the site at 38 Oxley Road to assess if it has enough architectural, heritage, and historical significance for preservation.

The study will be conducted by NHB's Preservation of Sites and Monuments Advisory Board, which comprises experts from various sectors.

This recommendation will subsequently be submitted to the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth to decide whether to issue a Preservation Order for the site, NHB said.

"If a Preservation Order is made, the government will have the time needed to consider carefully the different options identified in the Ministerial Committee Report, and any other options that may emerge," NHB said in an Oct. 24 statement.

"This will ensure a well-considered decision that will stand the test of time and will strengthen our solidarity and unity as a nation."

This comes after Lee Hsien Yang, the sole owner of the estate, said on Oct. 9 that he would apply to demolish the house, and build a "small private dwelling" in its place, to be held within the family in perpetuity.

Range of different views: NHB

NHB acknowledged that there is "a diverse range of different views amongst Singaporeans on the matter".

But according to the findings from the 2018 report of the Ministerial Committee on 38 Oxley Road, while founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew had preferred for the building to be demolished, he was "prepared to accept options other than demolition", provided that suitable arrangements were made.

The options set out in the report — which include retaining the entire building, retaining only the basement dining room, or demolishing the building but designating the site for alternative use — are "not exhaustive", NHB added.

"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."

The statutory board also noted that after the passing of his sister Lee Wei Ling, Lee Hsien Yang had stated his intention to seek permission for immediate demolition works to be carried out at 38 Oxley Road, and had made the application to the Urban Redevelopment Authority on Oct. 21, 2024.

"But making such a move now will rule out a proper and full consideration of the above options," NHB said.

As such, it will first study the site to assess if it has significance for preservation.

If the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth intends to preserve the site, NHB will notify the owner of this and the owner may submit any objections to NHB before a final decision is made.

And if the decision is to preserve the site as a National Monument, all options will continue to remain open to the current and future governments, as the Preservation Order can be amended or revoked "as the government of the day considers appropriate".

No rezoning or alternative use of the site will be allowed until a decision is made in future, NHB added.

The Oxley Road saga

The question of what to do with 38 Oxley Road has been going on for some time.

In April 2015, shortly after Lee Kuan Yew's death, Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling issued a statement saying that their late father had asked for his house to be demolished after his death.

Lee Kuan Yew had said in the seventh and last version of his will that the house should be demolished "immediately after [his] death or if [his] daughter, Wei Ling, would prefer to continue living in the original house, immediately after she moves out of the house".

He wrote:

"I would ask each of my children to ensure our wishes with respect to the demolition of the House be carried out."

The founding Prime Minister had also on at least two occasions prior written formally to the Cabinet to publicly express his wish for the house to be demolished.

It "should not be kept as a kind of relic for people to tramp through", he wrote, asking the Cabinet to "respect [his] wishes".

In 2016, a Ministerial Committee was set up to consider options for 38 Oxley Road.

It concluded that while Lee Kuan Yew had preferred for the house to be demolished, he had "had further reflected on the matter and was prepared to accept options other than demolition, provided that suitable arrangements were made to ensure that: (i) the Property was refurbished, and kept in a habitable state; and (ii) the family’s privacy was protected. "

Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang later issued statements disputing the ministerial committee's findings.

Upon Lee Wei Ling's death on Oct. 9, Lee Hsien Yang reiterated his intention to demolish the family home, as the property's "sole legal owner".

"Lee Hsien Loong said in Parliament in 2015 that when Wei Ling passed, it would be up to 'the government of the day' to decide whether to allow demolition," he wrote in a Facebook post.

"It has been nine years. That day is today."

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Top photo from Mothership and NHB