Planning (Master Plan) Rules

Planning Act

(Chapter 232, Section 10)

R 1

G.N. No. S 245/1999

REVISED EDITION 2000

(31st January 2000)

[1st June 1999]

PART I

PRELIMINARY

Citation

1. These Rules may be cited as the Planning (Master Plan) Rules.

Definition

2. In these Rules, “notice by advertisement” means a notice published in the Gazette and in one English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil newspaper circulating in Singapore.

PART II

PROCEDURE FOR SUBMISSION AND APPROVAL OF AMENDMENT TO MASTER PLAN

Proposal for amendment

3. A proposal for an amendment to the Master Plan shall consist of —

(a)	a written statement;
(b)	such maps prepared to such scale as the Minister may approve; and
(c)	any other relevant reports or documents,

setting out the provisions, specifications and particulars in relation to the proposal, and such other information and materials as are necessary to explain and illustrate the proposal.

Notice of proposal

4. The competent authority shall, after the submission to the Minister of a proposal for an amendment to the Master Plan, publish a notice by advertisement of the submission specifying —

(a)	a period of not less than 2 weeks within which objections to and representations concerning the proposed amendment may be made; and
(b)	the place where a certified copy of the proposal is deposited for public inspection during such period.

Objections and representations

5. Any objection to or representation concerning a proposal for an amendment to the Master Plan shall be in writing and shall be —

(a)	submitted to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of National Development within the period specified under rule 4(a); and
(b)	accompanied by a statement of the reasons or explanations therefor.

Approval of proposal

6.—(1) Except where the Minister is of the opinion that an objection or representation is of a frivolous nature, the Minister shall afford to any person whose objection or representation was received by him within the period specified under rule 4(a) and has not been withdrawn, an opportunity of appearing before and being heard by a person or persons appointed by the Minister for the purpose, or cause a public inquiry to be held in accordance with Part III.

(2) The Minister, after considering —

(a)	the proposal for an amendment to the Master Plan;
(b)	the Master Plan;
(c)	any objection or representation which has been received by him within the period specified under rule 4(a) and which has not been withdrawn; and
(d)	in a case where a hearing or public inquiry has been held in accordance with Part III, the findings and conclusions submitted to him in accordance with rule 14,

may approve, with such modifications as he may consider necessary, or reject the proposal for the amendment to the Master Plan in whole or in part.

(3) Notwithstanding rule 4, the Minister, if satisfied that a proposal for an amendment to the Master Plan is not material in nature, may approve the proposal without any notice of the proposal being published.

Notice of approval of proposal

7. On receiving notice of the approval of the Minister to any proposal for an amendment to the Master Plan with or without modification thereto, the competent authority shall —

(a)	publish a notice by advertisement of such approval specifying the date of such approval and the place where a certified copy of the approved amendment is deposited for public inspection; and
(b)	where applicable, send a copy of the notice referred to in paragraph (a) to those persons who have objected to or made representations concerning the proposed amendment to the Master Plan.

Public inspection

8.—(1) Where any notice by advertisement required to be given under these Rules refers to the deposit of a certified copy of a proposal for an amendment to the Master Plan or of an approved amendment to the Master Plan, the competent authority shall arrange for such copy to be deposited for public inspection without charge during office hours of the period specified in the notice.

(2) The Master Plan shall be available for public inspection without charge at the office of the competent authority during office hours.

Sale of Master Plan and approved amendment to Master Plan

9.—(1) The competent authority —

(a)	shall make available copies of the Master Plan or part thereof; and
(b)	may, if he considers it necessary, make available copies of an approved amendment to the Master Plan,

for sale to the public at a reasonable cost.

(2) The copies referred to in paragraph (1) may be in such medium as the competent authority thinks fit.

PART III

HEARINGS AND PUBLIC INQUIRIES

Appointment of persons to preside at hearing or public inquiry

10. Where the Minister decides under rule 6 that a hearing or a public inquiry shall be held in respect of a proposal for an amendment to the Master Plan, the Minister shall appoint such person or persons as he thinks fit to preside at such a hearing or public inquiry and shall notify the competent authority accordingly.

Day, time and place of hearing and public inquiry

11. On receipt of a notification under rule 10, the competent authority shall arrange the day, time and place of the hearing or public inquiry.

Notice of hearing and public inquiry

12.—(1) The competent authority shall, before a hearing or public inquiry, publish a notice by advertisement of the day, time and place of the hearing or public inquiry and the name of the person or persons appointed by the Minister to preside thereat.

(2) The competent authority shall, before the publication of the notice by advertisement under paragraph (1), send a certified copy thereof to those persons whose objections to or whose representations concerning the proposal for the amendment to the Master Plan are to be heard at the hearing or public inquiry and such other persons as the competent authority considers to have a special interest in the subject of the hearing or public inquiry.

Power to summon witnesses and take evidence

13.—(1) The person or persons appointed by the Minister to preside at the hearing or public inquiry may —

(a)	by summons require any person to attend at such time and place as is specified in the summons to give evidence or to produce any document, electronic record or other thing in his custody or under his control which relates to the subject of the hearing or public inquiry; and
(b)	take evidence on oath or may, instead of administering an oath, require the person examined to make and subscribe a declaration of the truth of the matter respecting which he is examined.

(2) Any person who —

(a)	refuses or wilfully neglects to attend in obedience to a summons under these Rules, or to give evidence; or
(b)	wilfully alters, suppresses, conceals, destroys or refuses to produce any document, electronic record or other thing which he may be required to produce for the purposes of these Rules,

shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $2,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both.

Report to Minister

14. The person or persons appointed by the Minister to preside at the hearing or public inquiry shall, at the conclusion of the hearing or public inquiry, submit in writing their findings and conclusions to the Minister.

PART IV

MISCELLANEOUS

Scale of Master Plan

15. The competent authority may, where he considers expedient, prepare any map comprised in the Master Plan or any part of such map to a suitable scale which differs from the scale approved for that map by the Minister under rule 3.

Description of maps

16. The maps and other documents comprised in the Master Plan shall be identified on the face thereof by the titles conferred on them by the competent authority.

Interpretation of Master Plan

17.—(1) Where there is any contradiction, discrepancy or inconsistency between particulars shown on maps comprised in the Master Plan relating to the same area, the map which is to a larger scale shall prevail.

(2) Where there is any contradiction, discrepancy or inconsistency between a map comprised in the Master Plan and the written statement of the Master Plan, such written statement shall prevail.

Transitional provisions

18.—(1) Any proposal for an amendment to the Master Plan which has been submitted to the Minister under the revoked Planning (Master Plan) Rules (R 1, 1993 Ed.) but which has not yet been approved or disapproved by the Minister under rule 6 of those Rules on 1st June 1999 shall be deemed to have been submitted and shall be dealt with under the corresponding provisions of these Rules.

(2) Any notice by advertisement which was published and any act or thing done or given under or pursuant to the revoked Planning (Master Plan) Rules and which remained valid immediately before 1st June 1999 shall be deemed to have been published, done or given under or pursuant to the corresponding provision of these Rules and shall continue to have effect accordingly.

[G.N. No. S 245/99]

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

Planning (Master Plan) Rules

This Legislative History is provided for the convenience of users of the Planning (Master Plan) Rules. It is not part of these Rules.

G. N. No. S 245/1999—Planning (Master Plan) Rules 1999

Date of commencement

1 June 1999

2000 Revised Edition—Planning (Master Plan) Rules

Date of operation

31 January 2000