We thank Mr Raymond Tham Kon Weng for his letter, "Plans for reclaimed island should include keeping current East Coast beach" (June 9).
"Long Island" was first envisioned as a reclaimed island for waterfront housing and leisure in Concept Plan 1991.
Prior to this, there has been a long history of reclamation in the East Coast area.
Many of the housing estates at Marine Parade and Bedok South were built on reclaimed land from the 1960s through to the 1980s, to meet our need for housing.
East Coast Park and the beach area were created together with this reclamation.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has been working closely with agencies to study how we can integrate the necessary climate change strategies into our long-term plans, including the plans for "Long Island".
The intention is to explore potential synergies and opportunities to address several objectives - to enhance our flood and water resilience, expand our green and blue network, and optimise our space resources.
The plans for "Long Island" represent an opportunity for Singapore to enhance our living environment while protecting Singaporeans from the impacts of climate change.
The plans showcased as part of the Long-Term Plan Review Exhibition represent just one possible concept to address these objectives. We will need to conduct more detailed technical studies, including potential environmental impacts, and will also engage with the public as part of the planning process.
We recognise that East Coast Park is an important recreational space for Singaporeans, and the agencies will study how the existing and new park spaces can be integrated into the future plans, to provide good access to the waterfront as well as opportunities for water sports.
As part of our studies, we will also look into how future buildings may be configured and sized so that sea breezes can continue to permeate into existing built-up areas to mitigate the urban heat island effect.
In the coming years, we will continue to refine the plans, and seek public feedback and ideas to provide for the needs of future generations.
Adele Tan
Group Director (Strategic Planning)
Urban Redevelopment Authority
