IMPLEMENTATION & ENFORCEMENT OF DEVELOPMENT CONTROL IN SINGAPORE - ITS EFFECTIVENESS IN THE FUTURE

Abstract

Planning and development control Is Important to fast developing countries where changes are so rapid that, if uncontrolled, will bring with them a rapid deterioration of the environment. This is especially so in the case of Singapore whereby land resources are scarce. Development control is thus required to ensure that limited land resources are put to the best use while maintaining a good quality of life. Judging from the generally pleasant physical environment, the success of Singapore in achieving an orderly and controlled development cannot be denied. This can be attributed to a comprehensive and effective development control system. However, with increasing pressures being exerted on the built environment, the major problem confronting the planning authority today lies in accommodating all the competing uses on this small island without creating a haphazard growth pattern and at the same time respecting the locational requirements of these uses. Through interviews and research conducted, the author found that developments are not always carried out according to the framework of plans. Deviation occurs in many forms and there are many reasons for them. This flexibility allowed may become a problem when economic, social and political pressures are increasingly imposed on the authority to deviate from plans. Though the effect of the flexibility given to the grant of planning permission is not reflected in the existing environment, continued use of such flexibility may be a cause for concern to the environment in the long run. Enforcement has also been found not to be very adequate. Thus there is room for further improvements in the legislative backing and administrative support. The future state of the environment will ultimately depend very much on the government's objectives towards It, both in the long and short term.