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Golden Mile Complex gazetted as conserved building: Desmond Lee

Golden Mile Complex. (SCREENSHOT: Minister Desmond Lee/Facebook)
Golden Mile Complex. (SCREENSHOT: Minister Desmond Lee/Facebook)

SINGAPORE — The Golden Mile Complex was gazetted as a conserved building on Friday (22 October), a year after the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) had proposed to do so.

In a pre-recorded video announcement on Facebook, Minister for National Development Desmond Lee noted that the iconic "typewriter" building is the first modern, large-scale, strata-titled development to be conserved here.

It will join close to 7,200 buildings that have been conserved in Singapore, with most of them dating from the colonial period.

Golden Mile Complex, built in the 1970s, was one of the first high-rise mixed-use developments in Singapore.

"Today, it remains one of our finest examples of Brutalist architecture, and an important icon from our initial years of post-war nation-building," said Lee.

He added that the decision to conserve the building was "not taken lightly", stressing that it comes after extensive study and engagement with building owners and heritage stakeholders.

"I’ve had thoughtful conversations with some owners, and appreciate their sharing. Understandably, they have some concerns as the building is ageing," Lee said.

He acknowledged that some owners may see conservation as a constraint and that they have been planning for a collective sale – some wanted to use the proceeds to fund their retirement.

To that effect, Lee stressed that the URA has made the effort to ensure that conservation does not undermine the owners’ collective sale efforts, including putting together a significant incentive package to make development options more attractive to potential buyers.

"We hope that this will support the owners to move forward with their collective sale efforts, and motivate developers to consider the potential of the site, alongside our vision to rejuvenate a national icon," he said.

"Looking ahead, we will continue to work with the owners and with industry to explore viable adaptive re-use outcomes for the building."

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