Singapore's HDB to clear 15 hectares of Maju Forest for Sunset Way housing
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Singapore's Housing and Development Board announced plans to clear roughly 15 of Maju Forest's 23 hectares for homes at Sunset Way, along with at least 10 hectares of Gillman Forest. Public petitions opposing the projects have gathered more than 60,000 signatures. The proposals have sparked rare public debate in a city-state where planning decisions are typically top-down.
Key Facts
- HDB plans to clear roughly 15 of Maju Forest's 23 hectares for homes at Sunset Way.
- At least 10 hectares of Gillman Forest, about 6km south, are also slated for clearance.
- Public petitions against the projects have attracted more than 60,000 signatures.
- Resident Joanne Teoh, 68, has documented Maju Forest's flora and fauna since 2021.
- The forest is home to long-tailed macaques, monitor lizards, and the critically endangered straw-headed bulbul.
The Clearance Plans
Singapore's Housing and Development Board announced last month that it would clear roughly 15 of Maju Forest's 23 hectares to build homes at Sunset Way. The plans also include clearing at least 10 hectares of Gillman Forest, located about 6km to the south. Maju Forest sits in Singapore's Sunset Way estate, where resident Joanne Teoh, 68, has lived for at least three decades. Teoh has documented the forest's flora and fauna since 2021, including a first sighting of Himalayan vultures earlier this year.
Public Opposition
Public petitions calling for the cancellation or revision of the projects have attracted more than 60,000 signatures. Residents have been strategising online and over coffee to advocate for stronger environmental safeguards and greater transparency. The debate has led to a rare bout of soul-searching over what kind of progress Singapore wants to see. Tensions between development and conservation have surfaced before, most notably over the planned rezoning of Dover Forest, a 33-hectare patch in the west of the city.
Biodiversity at Stake
Maju Forest is home to long-tailed macaques, ambling monitor lizards, and the critically endangered straw-headed bulbul. Teoh fears the habitat will soon be lost forever due to the government's plans to turn much of the forest into a residential area. She told Al Jazeera that even if homes are built on part of the forest, residents do not want to live beside the graveyard of a desiccated ecosystem.
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Singapore's HDB to clear 15 hectares of Maju Forest for Sunset Way housing
