Take for example our fauna-link (the $20M ‘eco-bridge’) across the highway BKE. It will certainly make Singapore look good on our dossier as an exemplary eco-city in the near future. But how effective is it? I am puzzled how a costly $20M project could have seen the light of day to solve a problem which should have been solved more than 20 years ago. I find it outrageous that as we speak (of this bridge), a real fauna-link in Mandai has to make way for a spa retreat (that STB and the likes are gunning for the greater tourist dollar), a coral platform (north of Sentosa) will be buried all too soon by the IR development for entertainment space, and last but not least, a forest is in limbo of being fragmented for the ‘enjoyment’ of the visitors to IR. As we speak of this grand bridge, all these are happening… and more if you care to read the news and remember them.

And as for a simpler change - that can enhance fauna movement across BKE in a big way - I think, all we need is not an elaborate expensive bridge but to have many strategically-located tunnels to be excavated below the highway for simpler, effective and less-obtrusive fauna movement. Simpler change and genuine change are what we really need for real solutions.

Land use in Singapore has become such a complicated issue for both tenants as well as land owners. Under all the buzz that URA and SLA have been vaunting, are such stories that ‘fall through the gap’. Although URA has made excellent broad plans for sustainable land use, someone in URA has forgotten about the cons of the plans, and what are in place to mitigate such occurrences. Mr Lee’s problem is probably too microscopic that the authorities have perhaps overlooked?

As Singapore continues to grow economically, land for commercial activities will naturally increase and give rise to more cases like Mr Lee. Also, at the rate of how the world is being destroyed by human activities, Singapore will loose a lot more land space from the coast. Who knows? Mr Lee’s little shop could be sea-front property in 50-100 years down the road?