May 31, 2008

Master Plan 2008: our Southern Islands

The cluster of Southern Islands near Sentosa seem very well in the focus of the planners. From the URA website, the map includes the major submerged reefs in the vicinity. But the map above is wrongly labelled. This is the correct names for the islands and reefs. (Higher resolutions of this same map on the website, however, had the correct names).The designated land uses are light green for "sports and recreation", olive green for "open space", purple for "hotel" or "business", light pink "residential" and dark pink "residential with commercial first storey", light blue "water body".

Most of the commercial and residential uses are concentrated on Seringat-Kias.This area was created by burying two submerged reefs: Seringat and Kias. This is what the two reefs looked like, from the Southern Islands Development Guide Plan (DGP) 1996 by the URA.The plans for Kusu Island are light green for "sports and recreation" with red areas marking "places of worship".
While the plans for the Sisters Islands are all light green for "sports and recreation".In the Parks and Waterbodies Plan, a chunk of St. John's Island is designated a Nature Area, while the Sisters Island and the water around them is designated a Marine Nature Area.
What does this mean?As for the other Southern Islands with natural shores, they are completely blank. Pulau Hantu isn't even labelled on the map, and Cyrene Reef doesn't appear on the map at all.
Here are the locations properly labelled.Pulau Semakau is the original island. The Semakau Landfill was created by building a seawall that eliminated Pulau Sakeng and the Eastern half of the original Pulau Semakau.

As for the landuse plan, the area is mostly maroon "business" and grey "transport facilities".
With olive green for "open space" assigned to the live firing islands and the natural part of Pulau Semakau.

Ominously, Pulau Hantu is beige, for "reserve site".

Significantly, Pulau Hantu was not featured in the exhibition in any other way. For example, no photos of people enjoying the island for fishing, diving or other water sports.

At the exhibition, under "Magnet for Business", the business plans for these islands are indicated.With dark blue for existing developments and maroon for projected developments. More about petrochemical industries and our southern islands.

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