Bidadari funeral parlour will be well-integrated with landscape

SINGAPORE - We refer to Mr Rajasegaran Ramasamy's letter ("Reconsider building funeral parlour on prime land"; last Saturday).

Today, the majority of funeral wakes are held within Housing Board estates, with others being held in funeral parlours or places of worship.

With an ageing population, the demand for these facilities is expected to increase. We need to ensure that sufficient land is set aside for essential community facilities such as funeral parlours, which should be geographically well-distributed and accessible to families and visitors, instead of being restricted to remote locations in Singapore.

In the case of the new Bidadari estate, there are already existing funeral parlour facilities in the area. The public is familiar with the location, which is easily accessible by the transport network.

Hence, to serve the needs of the public, we have retained a small part of the site for the continued use by such facilities.

The new and modern parlour will be well-integrated with Bidadari's topography and landscape, to minimise the visual impact on nearby residential buildings. This will provide a pleasant environment to allow bereaved family members to send off their loved ones in a respectful and dignified manner.

Lim Shu Ying (Ms)

Director (Urban Design Department)

Housing & Development Board

Tan Jun Han

Director (Planning Policies)

Urban Redevelopment Authority

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