National monument 38 Oxley Road acquired by Government
In the interim, necessary maintenance works will be carried out as required, and there will be no public access to the site
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[SINGAPORE] The site at 38 Oxley Road – where key discussions between Singapore’s founding leaders took place – was formally acquired by the Government on Friday (July 31).
The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) and the National Heritage Board (NHB) said in a statement that the Government took possession of the site on July 31. “The NHB will undertake a detailed study of the site and the options for how it can be developed into a public space in a manner that respects Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s wishes for privacy,” the agencies said.
“In the interim, necessary maintenance works will be carried out as required, and there will be no public access to the site.”
The site, which includes a pre-war bungalow that was founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew’s family home, was on Dec 12, 2025, gazetted a national monument.
On Nov 3 that same year, when the Government had announced its intention to gazette the site as a monument, it had also stated its intention to acquire the site to safeguard and preserve it.
The site’s last owner was Lee’s younger son, Lee Hsien Yang, the younger brother of Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
The family home has been at the centre of a long-running dispute between the Lee siblings, with Lee Hsien Yang and his late sister Lee Wei Ling alleging that SM Lee wanted the pre-war one-storey bungalow preserved for his political gain against their father’s wishes.
SM Lee refuted their accusations in a ministerial statement in Parliament, after having raised “grave concerns” over the “troubling circumstances” around the preparation of their late father’s final will.
In a Facebook post on July 31, Lee Hsien Yang said: “The compulsory acquisition of his home is a repudiation of his values and a flagrant disregard for his long-held wish.”
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On Jan 29, 2026, the site was gazetted for acquisition by the Government, with SLA and NHB saying in a statement then that preserving and acquiring the site meant that it cannot be redeveloped for residential, commercial or other private uses.
When The Straits Times visited the site on July 31, NHB officers were seen within the compound of 38 Oxley Road. Entry to the public was not allowed.
Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo has said that the Government’s intention is to develop the site into a public space after its acquisition, such as a heritage park, that Singaporeans can access. THE STRAITS TIMES
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