Appendix IV - Subject Groups’ Recommendations and URA/NParks Reponses to Master Plan

Summary

LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS

Diversity of Parks and Nature Areas

1. Categorise our parks into three categories, according to ease of access, elaborateness of facilities and degree of landscaping:

1. a. Category A — natural areas to keep pristine, with existing vegetation and trails left untouched and possibly discrete directional signs may be put up to mark the entrances

2. b. Category B — wilderness areas with some basic facilities to facilitate access, such as toilets, shelters and formal tracks, e.g. Bukit Timah Nature Reserve

3. c. Category C — public parks, with landscaping and facilities, e.g. town parks

Making Nature Areas More Accessible

Northern Wetlands — Sungei Buloh and the Kranji marshes

1. 2. Support the new nature parks next to the Sungei Buloh mangroves and keep them as Category A to Category B open spaces.

2. 3. Support camping at new nature parks next to Sungei Buloh if suitable sites are found, but consideration must be given to waste management and minimising interference with the mangrove and its wildlife.

3. 4. Support new nature park at the Kranji marshes and keep it as a Category A to Category B open space.

4. 5. Provide a buffer along the shorelines of the Kranji reserve where possible.

5. 6. Support the proposed boardwalk connecting the Sungei Buloh mangroves to the Kranji marshes but allow public access only to the southern 500m of the 2km PUB bund, and do not extend the boardwalk/trail across the S. Jelutong estuary to protect this particularly sensitive area.

6. 7. Allow inland trails perpendicular to the reservoir edge leading to the edge of the marsh.

7. 8. Study appropriate locations for hides to view birdlife along the mangrove coastline, as well as north of S. Jelutong.

8. 9. Support non-motorised boating on Kranji Reservoir, organised by responsible operators. Boats should not go within 50m of the bund where access is restricted.

9. 10. Support nature trails through Lim Chu Kang farmland for both recreational and educational value. The trails should be of Category B access.

10. 11. Support the proposed trails, boardwalks, canopy walk, and observation tower as shown in the Parks & Waterbodies Plan. Care is to be taken to cause minimal disturbance to the flora and fauna. For different parts of the Central Catchment, ease of access and infrastructure should be varied according to the eco- sensitivity of the areas.

11. 12. NParks to produce brochures and trail guides for the Central Catchment.