Two Teochew associations settle dispute over redevelopment of Teochew Building
SINGAPORE’s two oldest Teochew associations have “entered into an amicable global settlement agreement” over the redevelopment plans for the historic Teochew Building, bringing an end to a feud that surfaced in 2017.
At the centre of the dispute is the six-storey building at 97 Tank Road. It was built in 1963, and has been occupied by Ngee Ann Kongsi (NAK) and Teochew Poit Ip Huay Kuan (THK) for close to 60 years.
The accord was inked on Thursday (Dec 7) in a signing ceremony with Edwin Tong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, as guest of honour. Tong also chairs the Chinese Community Liaison Group, which was set up to strengthen the government’s relationship with Chinese community organisations and to deepen its understanding of the Chinese community.
NAK and THK said that they were “especially grateful” to the minister for his advice and for personally leading the discussions between the two sides. This was instrumental to their coming to a full and final settlement of the dispute, “which is important to preserving good relations in the Teochew and Chinese communities”, said a joint statement put out by the two groups. It added: “As part of the settlement agreement, both parties have agreed to keep the terms strictly confidential.”
Lie Kee Pong, NAK’s first vice-president, told reporters that the rear of the existing building would be demolished, and a new building erected in its place; he added that more than 80 per cent of the space in the redeveloped building would be put to community use. The building’s iconic Chinese-style roof will, however, be conserved.
Probed further on the redevelopment plans, he offered little else, except that the plans are being studied by the architect and other professionals, and that more information would be released after the study.
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NAK and THK also thanked their respective negotiation teams in the statement. These included NAK former presidents James Teo Wee Wee, Teo Miang Yeow and Richard Lee Sew-Iam; THK adviser and lifetime honorary president George Quek Meng Tong, immediate past president Chan Kian Kuan, deputy president Woo Chee Chay and former honorary secretary Toh Lim Mok.
NAK had planned for redevelopment works for Teochew Building to start in July 2018 and so served notice on THK to vacate the building by end-June 2018. But both parties could not agree on the relocation arrangement despite protracted talks, resulting in the redevelopment works being postponed twice. NAK then served an originating summons for THK to vacate the building in December 2018.
THK was reported to have said at the time that the redevelopment was a unilateral move by NAK, which had not consulted it on the matter, despite THK being the beneficiary of the land the building stands on.
THK said that, for the relocation to occur, NAK would have to provide it with a place comparable to the one in Teochew Building; it also asked for a “reasonable relocation fee” for it to move out, and for it to move back to the building after the redevelopment was done.
THK is said to occupy about 183.5 square metres of office space in the building. It asked that it be given a similar space after the redevelopment, and said that it was entitled to stay there without cost, as this was how things have been since 1963.
In October 2019, the court granted THK’s application to convert the originating summons into a writ action, to be heard in open court with witness evidence.
There were several interlocutory court hearings after this, and the parties opted for mediation along the way.
The land on which Teochew Building sits is now held in trust with NAK. The building was a joint property of the former Tuan Meng School and Teochew (Eight Districts) Public Property Preservation Association, which later changed its name to THK.
The school and the seven shophouses owned by THK were on several land lots, and were handed over to NAK for joint management on a trust basis.
A 2019 court document said that the transfer was done for NAK “to manage Teochew properties in Singapore, facilitate amalgamation of the various parcels of land into a single plot of land on which Teochew Building would sit, and to eliminate the need for the replacement of trustees from time to time”.
NAK had said earlier that it planned to redevelop the building to use it for education, cultural exhibitions and community activities. The site is currently zoned for “civic and community institution” use under the Urban Redevelopment Authority 2019’s Master Plan.
When the feud erupted in 2018, the redevelopment plans entailed retaining the facade of the building and putting up a new 10-storey building, costing more than S$40 million.
THK was set up to promote Teochew culture and foster ties in the community, and oversee Teochew clans in Singapore.
NAK is a charitable foundation, and acts as the trustee organisation for properties owned by the Teochew community. Some of the properties which it partially or fully owns include Ngee Ann City along Orchard Road, Ngee Ann Polytechnic and Ngee Ann Secondary School.
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