Corrections regarding false statements of fact by The Online Citizen and “Twenty Two Thirty” on the rental of and works carried out at 26 Ridout Road

1.      The following publications paint a false and misleading picture about the rental of and works carried out at 26 Ridout Road:

a.      The “The Online Citizen” (“TOC”) article dated 14 February 2025, reposted on TOC’s accounts on Facebook and X; and

b.      The video posted by “Twenty Two Thirty” on YouTube on 16 February 2025

(collectively, the “Publications”).

2.      The Publications communicate the following falsehoods:

a.      The Singapore Land Authority (“SLA”) has given Minister Shanmugam assurances of an extension to the lease of 26 Ridout Road beyond its expiry in 2027;

b.      The Urban Redevelopment Authority (“URA”) and the Building and Construction Authority (“BCA”) did not ensure that all their requisite approvals were obtained for the works carried out at 26 Ridout Road; and

c.      Public funds have been used to pay for the earthworks at 26 Ridout Road carried out since 2024.

3.      The Publications have distorted the facts by making baseless assertions and omitted key facts which are publicly available.

Facts

A.      SLA did not assure Minister Shanmugam of a further extension beyond the expiry of the tenancy term in 2027.

4.      Tenancies for residential State properties are granted for 2 or 3-year terms, with a maximum initial agreement of 3+3+3 years (i.e. renewal every 3 years up to a total of 9 years).

5.      SLA typically allows tenancy renewals upon the expiry of any tenancy term, subject to prevailing market conditions, unless:

a.           the government has other plans for the site; or

b.          the tenant has a poor track record (e.g. rent arrears or breaches of tenancy rules).

6.      26 Ridout Road is subject to a Tenancy Agreement of 3+3+3 years commencing in June 2018. The tenancy was renewed for a third 3-year term from June 2024 till June 2027 in line with SLA’s prevailing guidelines.  

7.      There has not been any new undisclosed tenancy term, nor has SLA given any assurance to Minister Shanmugam of any extension beyond the expiry of the term in 2027.  The grant of a further renewal will depend on the factors raised in paragraph 5 above.

8.      Further, during the tenancy, SLA generally allows tenants to carry out improvement works on their property. SLA would advise its tenants to consider the remaining timeframe when planning improvements. The decision on whether and when to undertake such works rests with the tenants.

B.      URA and BCA ensured that all their requisite approvals were obtained for the works carried out at 26 Ridout Road.

When URA and/or BCA approval is applicable for works carried out on State properties tenanted by SLA

9.      For State properties tenanted out by SLA, URA’s approval is only required for works that:

a.          affect conserved buildings or monuments; or

b.          exceed 10% of the existing Gross Floor Area of the property.

10.      To streamline the planning application process for works carried out on these properties, URA and SLA have in place a set of pre-authorised works that do not require URA’s approval and only require SLA’s in-principle agreement. SLA’s in-principle agreement must be obtained on the proposed works before they can be carried out on the tenanted property. URA issued circulars in 2015 and 2017 to inform the industry about this streamlined process.

11.      Tenants must still obtain clearance from relevant technical agencies, such as BCA, where necessary. One category of works that does not require BCA’s approval is “insignificant building works” as prescribed under the First Schedule to the Building Control Regulations 2003 (“BCR”) read with Regulation 3A of the BCR.

12.  The onus is on the Qualified Person^[1] (“QP”) engaged by the tenant or SLA to obtain the requisite approvals from relevant agencies prior to carrying out the proposed works. 

With respect to the works carried out at 26 Ridout Road, all requisite approvals were obtained

13.      For earthworks carried out within the property by the tenant since 2024:

a.      SLA’s in-principle agreement was obtained;

b.      URA’s approval was not required as such works fell within the scope of pre-authorised works. Nonetheless, the QP engaged by the tenant had sought approval from URA, and URA advised that its approval was not required; and

c.      BCA’s approval was obtained.

14.      For the swimming pool installed by the tenant in 2018:

a.           URA’s approval was not required since the pool installation was external to and did not affect the conserved building. The fact that URA’s approval was not required had already been addressed in the June 2023 Report on the Review of the Rentals of State Properties at No. 26 and No. 31 Ridout Road (“Review Report”).

b.           BCA’s approval was not required since the pool installation was considered “insignificant building works” under the First Schedule to the BCR. This was because the excavation and earth retaining structure works did not exceed a height of 1.5m.

15.      SLA, as landlord, had also carried out structural works, comprising:

a.      repairs to timber floor beams and joists at the main building and timber beams at a linkway in 2018;

b.      replacement of damaged timber members in 2024; and

c.      restoration and replacement of existing doors and windows in 2024/2025

(collectively “Structural Works”).

16.      For the Structural Works at paragraph 15(a) and 15(b):

a.      URA’s approval was obtained in 2024 and 2023 respectively, per conservation guidelines.  While URA’s approval was not obtained prior to commencing the Structural Works at paragraph 15(a), SLA’s appointed QP subsequently paid a civil penalty that was issued to SLA and obtained URA’s approval to retain the works in April 2024.

b.      BCA’s approval was obtained in 2018 and 2024 respectively, as the works involved modifications to the structure of the building and were not considered “insignificant building works” under the First Schedule to the BCR. Further, as BCA's website displays approvals obtained in the current and preceding calendar year, the absence of older approvals online does not mean that such approvals were not issued.

17.      For the Structural Works at paragraph 15(c), URA’s approval was obtained in 2023 (and its validity subsequently extended in 2024), as the works affected the conserved building. BCA’s approval was not required, as the works were considered insignificant building works under the First Schedule to the BCR.

18.      SLA bore the costs of the Structural Works as part of its obligations as landlord, to ensure that the rented property is in good condition for safe occupancy and to protect the property’s heritage value, in line with the relevant conservation and restoration guidelines. SLA’s obligation in this regard had been addressed in the Review Report and during the Parliamentary sitting on 3 July 2023.

C.      No public funds were used to pay for the earthworks at 26 Ridout Road carried out since 2024.

19.      The tenant at 26 Ridout Road bore the full costs of the earthworks conducted since 2024, as well as the other improvement works carried out by the tenant. No public funds were used to finance these works.

Conclusion

20.      TOC had previously published false statements of fact regarding the rentals of 26 and 31 Ridout Road. Despite having received a Correction Direction on 18 February 2024 under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act 2019 (“POFMA”) for various falsehoods in relation to these properties, TOC persists in making baseless assertions of impropriety by Ministers, SLA and other public agencies.

21.      Upholding a system of governance with high standards of integrity is an ongoing, collective effort. We urge the public to be discerning, especially of articles from TOC which have previously made unsubstantiated allegations and omitted publicly available facts. Such actions undermine our public institutions.

22.      The Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Second Minister for Law, Mr Edwin Tong, has instructed the POFMA Office to issue Correction Directions to TOC and “Twenty Two Thirty” in respect of their articles or posts. The Correction Directions require the recipients to insert a notice against the original article or post (or in a specified online location, where the article or post has been removed), with a link to the Government’s clarification.

[1] A Qualified Person is a person who is registered as an Architect with the Board of Architects (BOA) or a Professional Engineer with the Professional Engineers Board (PEB) and has a valid practicing certificate issued by the BOA or PEB respectively.