Dover Forest Plans Revised: Info on Events Leading to Change

On July 30th, Housing Board revealed that it has Dover Forest revised plans, and as per the new approach, the eastern half of the property will be utilized to develop housing, whereas the western house development plans are currently put on hold.

It is planned that a major portion of the western half that has rich biodiversity as compared to the east sector will be used to create a nature park.

Below we have provided some historical details about the latest plans for the events relevant to the Dover Forest area:

In the year 2003, the site was zoned for Residential development as per the master plan of the Urban Redevelopment Authority. Recently on December 20th, 2020, the HDB published a long 155-page report covering the baseline study on environmental conditions of Dover Forest. However, they opened the platform for public feedback on the same. Soon after that, on December 21st, Desmond Lee, the National Development Minister, stated that Build – to – Order flats in the Ulu Pandan estate will be launched soon.

This year, on January 15th, 2021, the Nature Society of Singapore published another 13-page proposal arguing about the development of a public-cum-nature park. The feedback period for this report was closed on January 16th. After going through all the public feedbacks, Mr. Lee announced another four-week extension to the feedback period so that more opinions can be collected till March 1st. Later, on July 30th, HDB said that the development plans for this proposed 33ha site are expected to balance the housing and nature conservation needs at the same time. With the detailed analysis of public opinions and the site structure, a new decision was made, and it confined the residential developments to the eastern part of the property while dedicating a major portion of the Western part to the nature park.

As per the current plans, a commercial node at this site will be developed close to the Dover MRT station that could offer easy access to eateries, shops, and other amenities to the local residents.

There is a long and memorable history associated with the Dover Forest Site. Reports reveal that Malays lived at this site between the 1800s to 1900s. They developed homes near Sungei Ulu Pandan river banks and were depending on fishing for their living. Some Chinese settlers joined them later, and they started growing rambutans, durians, rubber, and many other trees in this area. Right from ancient times, the western half of this area was dedicated to the forest land, and it used to mark the boundary of the estate.

In the 1950s, Sundry Trees replaced rubber plantations and slowly with many other modern age vegetations. The first proposal for residential development in the area was given in 2003, and the proposal is yet to be reviewed and implemented with several changes over the years. The real estate experts are also planning to launch another vacant site in the nearby area for public housing by the end of 2022.

 

More information can be found on the page below

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/housing/plans-for-dover-forest-revised-events-leading-to-the-change

 

 

Singapore Condos near the central

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