Land development in Singapore is governed by the Ministry of National Development and the Ministry of Law via their respective agencies (the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore, the Building and Construction Authority and the Singapore Land Authority). The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment enforces environmental regulations primarily via its agency, the National Environment Agency.

Together, these three ministries and their respective agencies work together to develop land in Singapore in a fashion that is compliant with environmental regulations.

There are numerous laws, including:

• The National Environment Agency Act
• The Environmental Protection and Management Act
• The Environmental Public Health Act
• The Urban Redevelopment Authority Act
• The Planning Act

The main permits and licenses include:

• General builder license and specialist builder license
• Permit to commence structural works
• Temporary occupation permit
• Certificate of statutory completion

Additionally, plans relating to building and design in general have to be submitted to the Building and Construction Authority for approval before the actual work commences.

Generally, an environmental cleanup may be required where authorities seek to reduce or mitigate potential dangers to human health.

Certain authorities also require companies in some industries to conduct environmental baseline studies (EBS) to assess the level of contamination of the leased premises. If a site is found to be contaminated, the responsible parties involved would be required to remediate the property to meet the prevailing Dutch Standards or the first EBS level at the commencement of the original lease term.

Yes. New buildings in Singapore are required to adhere to the minimum environmental sustainability standard set by the BCA Green Mark Certified Level, while projects developed on land sold under the Government Land Sales Programme sites in certain strategic areas of Singapore will be subject to higher Green Mark standards. There is further a new “Green Mark Pearl Award” to recognise collaborations between developers, building owners and tenants that successfully increase green tenanted gross floor area to between 50 and 70% for each building.

On 30 June 2022, the government has introduced the SGD 63 million Green Mark Incentive Scheme for Existing Buildings 2.0,  with the objective to raise energy performance of existing buildings and to have 80% of existing buildings in Singapore classified as green.

The scheme will provide grant supports to building owners on their goals to attain higher energy performance by lowering the upfront capital costs for energy efficiency retrofits and improving the returns on investment. The scheme will be available from 30 June 2022 until the available funds have been fully committed or by 31 March 2027 (whichever is earlier).

There are various regulatory measures and incentives including:

• Mandatory submission of periodic energy audits, building information and energy consumption data under the Building Control Act
• Mandatory energy management system under the Energy Conservation Act
• Regulation of the district cooling systems under the District Cooling Act