Losing our food heritage in the name of development

I read with disappointment the article "Clock is ticking for Lavender's 'food heaven'".

This marks the demise of yet another popular food haunt.

A few weeks ago, Singapore's largest McDonald's outlet, at King Albert Park - a place that many Singaporeans remember fondly as one where they "mugged" for exams and had their first date - also made headline news when it closed down to make way for redevelopment.

In place of these local favourites will rise yet more mixed-purpose developments of retail outlets, offices and residences.

Singapore is fast losing a generation of hawkers and efforts are being made to train a new generation of hawkers.

Yet at the same time, we seem to be speeding up their disappearance by making their future uncertain.

Will the future Singapore landscape be filled with just HDB blocks, condominiums and mixed-purpose developments?

Of course, there is a need to build more homes for a growing population.

But many residential units are also being bought for rental income.

How many patches of forest and popular haunts are making way for buildings that are aimed solely at property investors?

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