The Tamesis
November 4, 2025
Singapore— The previous home of starting Head of state Lee Kuan Yew at 38 Oxley Roadway has actually been assigned as a nationwide monolith and can be exchanged a public heritage park.
On November 3, the federal government introduced its purpose to proclaim the website a nationwide monolith after the National Heritage Council’s Conservation of Websites and Monoliths (PSM) Advisory Board examined the website as being of historical value and nationwide significance.
The National Heritage Board (NHB) and the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) stated in a joint declaration that the federal government prepares to obtain the website for its preservation and preservation if a preservation order is provided.
NHB and shanty town stated: “If the website is preserved and gotten, the federal government will certainly transform it right into a public room, with one feasible end result being a heritage park. This indicates the website can not be redeveloped for domestic, business or various other personal usage.”
It is the most up to date advancement in a long-running conflict over the destiny of the Lee family members home at 38 Oxley Roadway, possessed by Lee Hsien Yang, sibling of Priest of State Lee Hsien Loong.
The issue developed once more in October 2024 after the fatality of their sis, Dr. Wei Ling Li. She has actually resided in your home considering that Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s fatality in 2015. Mr Lee Hsien Yang after that sent an application to the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) to destroy the home.
On November 3, 2025, the authority stated the NHB suggested maintaining the website after the PSM advising board considered it “of nationwide value and of fantastic historic worth”. The NHB executed an official evaluation of 38 Oxley Roadway concerning a year back.
Performing Priest for Society, Area and Young people David Leong approved the suggestion.
Securing the website does not require the federal government to keep all existing structures and frameworks in their present state, the authorities stated, keeping in mind that they had not yet had a possibility to evaluate their problem.
In-depth research study will certainly be executed to think about following actions.
NHB and shanty town stated the federal government would certainly think about all alternatives for the website, consisting of those advanced by the pastoral board for 38 Oxley Roadway in its 2018 record, and meant to choose “throughout the regard to this federal government”.
The board provided a variety of alternatives, consisting of maintaining the home, maintaining the dining establishment, knocking down the remainder of the home, and destroying it totally.
” Whatever choice is taken, the federal government will certainly appreciate Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s desires and will certainly get rid of all traces of Mr Lee and his family members’s personal space in the structure,” the National Health And Wellness Solution and SPLA stated.
NHB stated it had actually offered Lee Hsien Yang created notification of Neo’s purpose to provide a conservation order.
Under the Monuments Defense Act 2009, Mr Lee Hsien Yang will certainly have 2 weeks (till November 17) to send any type of arguments. The authority stated the priest would certainly think about all arguments prior to making a decision on whether to purchase the website to be preserved as a nationwide monolith.
With the notification provided to Mr Lee Hsien Yang, 38 Oxley Roadway is currently lawfully acknowledged as a suggested nationwide monolith.
There are presently 76 nationwide monoliths in Singapore, the most up to date of which is the 3 blocks of the previous Kandang Kerbau Medical facility on Hampshire Roadway, jointly gazetted on 1 October 2025. The previous health center structure has actually been noted as a suggested nationwide monolith considering that September 5.
Recommended monoliths go through comparable defenses as gazetted monoliths, and those that change or change a monolith in a manner that impacts its personality and value will certainly deal with charges.
NHB’s PSM device is accountable for determining and looking into possible nationwide monoliths. It additionally advises that websites or structures of nationwide significance be secured as nationwide monoliths and recommends the federal government on issues connecting to monoliths.
An official evaluation of the 38 Oxley Roadway website was introduced in October 2024 by the PSM Advisory Board – composed of professionals from a range of areas – adhering to NHB’s research for the 2018 Ministerial Board Record.
Mr. Lee Kuan Yew died in March 2015 and left his home to his oldest boy, SM Lee, after that Head Of State of Singapore.
In June 2016, the Closet (leaving out then-Prime Priest Lee Myung-bak, that had actually recused himself from all federal government choices relating to the home), charged a pastoral board with preparing a cabinet prepare for different alternatives for the home.
In 2017, Mr Lee Hsien Yang and Dr Lee, the joint managers and administrators of the will of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, revealed a bad blood over your home.
2 more youthful brother or sisters asserted that SM Lee wished to maintain the pre-war single-storey cottage for political gain versus their papa’s desires.
Lee SM later on refuted their allegations in a pastoral declaration in parliament after elevating “major issues” concerning “uncomfortable scenarios” in the prep work of his late papa’s last will.
Your house currently belongs totally to Mr Lee Hsien Yang after SM Lee marketed it to Mr Lee Hsien Yang at market value in 2015.
The URA delayed evaluation of Mr Lee Hsien Yang’s demolition application because of the National Health and wellness Authority’s research.
Mr Lee Hsien Yang stated in a Facebook article on November 3 that the order to proclaim 38 Oxley Roadway as a nationwide monolith “efficiently turned down the demolition application”.
” The PAP federal government has actually picked to violate Lee Kuan Yew’s steadfast need to destroy personal homes,” he included.
In action to questions, Ms. Lee SM’s press assistant, Ms. Chang Li Lin, stated: “Lee SM has actually recused himself from the issue … He has no remarks to include.”
