RENEWAL OF EXISTING LEASES FOR PLACES OF WORSHIP LAND UNDER REVISED LAND AND PRICING ALLOCATION FRAMEWORK

The Government’s important announcement in May 2023 in changing the methodology of allocating places of worship (“PW”) land to religious organisations (“ROs”) has been well received on the ground.

Previously, the land was allocated on the basis of a tender which tends to make the prices go higher and higher over time. The Government, recognising the ROs play an important role in our communities, changed the tender system to a balloting system instead. It also announced that ROs with existing PW land need not tender for extension of leases too.

To ensure that there is a parity between an RO wishing to ballot for PW land and an RO wishing to extend the lease for PW land, I suggested in my PQ that there be a requirement to check if the RO with an existing lease of PW land continues to serve the community. I am glad to note from the Minister’s reply that the agencies reviewing the extension of lease applications will keep in mind such considerations.

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Mr Murali Pillai asked the Minister for Law whether religious organisations applying to renew existing leases for places of worship (PW) land without being subject to the ballot system under the revised land and pricing allocation framework announced in May 2023 should nonetheless be required to satisfy the same qualification criteria as religious organisations applying to be allocated PW land through the ballot system so as to ensure that existing religious organisations continue to run programmes that benefit the community they are located at.

Mr K Shanmugam: The intent of the pre-qualification criteria for the balloting of Place of Worship (PW) land is to prioritise the allocation of new PW sites to religious organisations (ROs) that contribute to the community and demonstrate a need for the land. While the same does not apply to ROs which are renewing their leases, lease renewal applications for PW land are assessed by agencies taking into consideration whether the use of the land is in line with planning intention, and whether the RO continues to serve the needs of the community.