Singapore land-use policies should be more responsive to market changes

Singapore

THE review of existing land-use policies and planning guidelines by the government is a step in the right direction, but until more details are fleshed out, no one should hold out for a massive rewriting of rules.

After all, the government's modus operandi has tended towards doing trial runs of new ideas in pilot projects and new industrial sites, rather than taking a broad-brush approach when changing planning rules for current sites.

That said, the planning authorities should see to it that the large stock of existing industrial space does not remain stuck in outmoded definitions of land use.

The response from the government to review the land-use planning regime came on the back of recommendations by the Committee on the Future Economy (CFE) for greater fle…