Over $500k SLA spent on 26 Ridout Rd was for 'structural items' and making property 'habitable': Edwin Tong

The cost incurred by the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) for the improvement and maintenance works for 26 Ridout Road was to ensure the property was habitable, said Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong in his ministerial statement on Monday (July 3). 

Tong was answering the Parliamentary Questions posed by Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) Leong Mun Wai and Member of Parliament Leon Perera regarding the improvement and maintenance works carried out on the two state properties rented by ministers K Shanmugam and Vivian Balakrishnan.

Prefacing that both 26 and 31 Ridout Road were properties that have been "gazetted for conservation", Tong explained that SLA is responsible for the maintenance works based on conservation and restoration guidelines. 

For 26 Ridout Road, which is rented by Shanmugam, SLA had engaged a consultant with experience in dealing with heritage properties to survey the property to determine the necessary works to be done. 

"The works identified by the external consultant were in the nature of structural items such as timber beams, rafters and columns, and other heritage features, and cost about $375,000, out of the total amount of $515,000 incurred for 26 Ridout Road," said Tong. 

He added that a similar building inspection was also done by an external consultant for 31 Ridout Road rented by Balakrishnan.

SLA also did the usual sprucing-up works prior to the commencement of a tenancy, which included painting, pest control and removal of mould for 26 Ridout Road. 

The cost of these works came up to around $140,000. 

For 31 Ridout Road, the work included general repairs to the staircase, or perimeter of the house, fixing windows, painting and pest control (including snake combing).

The total cost of the sprucing-up works was around $118,000.

Tenants' improvement works 

Aside from SLA's maintenance works, Minister Shanmugam also offered to and invested in "substantial improvement works" to the property, said Tong.

"This included a new air-conditioning system, building a car park shelter, constructing a swimming pool, installing garden lights, and upgrading the toilets as well as adding trees and other planting," which cost him in excess of $400,000, added Tong. 

He elaborated that these improvement works undertaken by the tenant become the property of the landlord, and revert to State ownership when the property is returned to SLA. 

For 31 Ridout Road, Balakrishnan similarly undertook improvement works with a cost of around $200,000, including installing air-conditioning, upgrading the toilets and building a pavilion as an extension of the property’s garage.

Several trees were also planted, with approval from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). 

During his address to the House, Tong also said that incoming tenants for the Black and Whites have to undertake capital expenditure to upgrade the unit to "raise it to modern standards". 

"But this is complicated as most Black & Whites are either conserved buildings or treated as such by SLA. Thus, there are limits to how far a tenant can retrofit the properties in question." 

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Black and Whites are characterised by a particular architectural style from the early 1900s and are visibly recognisable by the black timber structural frame with white infill plastered walls.

Hipped tiled roofs with wide overhangs and extensive verandahs are also common features.

In his ministerial statement, Tong shared that there are currently 36 conserved Black and Whites, and a further 235 state-owned Black and Whites are marked for study for conservation. 

Both categories carry "obligations on the property owner" to respect the key elements of the bungalows, such as the roofs, structural members, facades of the building, doors and windows and significant interior features including staircases, decorative mouldings, double volume spaces.

READ ALSO: Ridout Road bungalows case an example for public officers to act with integrity, says SM Teo Chee Hean

claudiatan@asiaone.com