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Mr Cai Yinzhou: My late grandmother lived at Old Airport Road, where her life and friendships were deeply rooted. In 2014, when nearby Dakota Crescent residents were told to move, I founded Dakota Adventures, co-guiding tours with senior residents for over 1,500 Singaporeans, including hon Minister Grace Fu.

In 2017, then-Minister Lawrence Wong announced the conservation of six blocks, out of 15, to allow future generations to build their memories.

We need a more robust and local framework for urban renewal. Will the Ministry implement a formal Social and Heritage Impact Assessment? This would allow us to proactively reimagine existing spaces rather than retrospectively conserving them. And also, to account for the heritage and social impact that potential relocation might have towards, especially, the seniors living in those estates.

Furthermore, our ABC Waterways network spans 8,000 kilometres through our homes and communities. I hope the Ministry can move beyond aesthetic "water views" as a mode of promotion and instead, incorporate active "blue spaces" for recreational activities, like water sports and fishing, and even consider exploring water-based transportation.

Chairman, I look forward to a vision for a more social- and heritage-conscious urban landscape that truly reflects the social value of landmarks, like Dakota Crescent, which remains hoarded up today.

Mr Alvin Tan: Sir, we are also stewarding places which hold our collective shared memories. Mr Cai Yinzhou asked if we will consider a social and heritage assessment framework for urban development projects. This is already part of how we plan. We partner stakeholders to identify built heritage that is architecturally and socially significant, consulting groups like the Heritage and Identity Partnership and the National Heritage Board's Heritage Advisory Panel upstream in planning.  

 We have evolved our approach over time. In 2018, we piloted a heritage study of the Old Police Academy at Mount Pleasant. That is in Mr Cai's constituency, upcoming and opposite mine. We have conserved six of the most significant buildings and given them new uses, including as a Neighbourhood Police Post and an SPF Heritage Gallery. We will also retain part of the former parade square as a public space for community use. We will weave these elements into a new Mount Pleasant estate that will bring 6,000 homes together with heritage and nature. 

Sir, in 2022, we launched the Heritage Impact Assessment Framework for projects that may significantly impact sites with heritage significance. The findings from the assessment guide how we plan our developments, conserve or adaptively reuse heritage elements and engage stakeholders.

Take Bukit Timah Turf City for example. A 2024 assessment recognised its 66 years as one of Southeast Asia's top racecourses. Even as we transform the site into a housing estate, we will conserve the two grandstands that once housed thousands of spectators, as well as the former Bukit Timah saddle club clubhouse. We will sensitively adapt and integrate these landmarks into future developments to keep the area's history alive

Today, we have conserved over 7,200 buildings and structures. Where we cannot conserve, or there are constraints to conserving, we honour a place's history through thoughtful design and storytelling. We will also strengthen the appeal and character of the six identity corridors which are familiar neighbourhoods with landmarks that resonate with Singaporeans. This keeps us rooted in our past, even as we build for the future.  

Mr Cai Yinzhou also asked if we can better use our freshwater bodies for recreation. Today, many of our reservoirs are active water sports hubs and we have multiple water activity outlets across our island. As an advisor to the Singapore Canoe Federation, I use those water bodies very often. Many of our reservoirs, as I mentioned, are active water sports hubs and we have multiple water activity outlets where residents can rent equipment and take part in water sports activities like kayaking and canoeing.

Our upcoming PAssion Wave Outpost at Bayfront, located at Marina Reservoir, will further give Singaporeans direct access to water recreation opportunities right at our city's doorstep. We hope that these play spaces will bring more Singaporeans together and make our city a little bit more vibrant, a little bit more endearing. 

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