Singapore legislation
Section 19
Section 19
Private persons making new streets
(1)
Every person who intends to make any new street shall give notice in writing thereof to the Director-General, accompanied by a plan in duplicate, showing the intended level and construction of the street and the level of the houses to be built on land abutting upon it and the proposed manner of draining it, and by a statement whether the street is intended for a carriage road, or for foot traffic only, in order that the plan may be approved by the Director-General subject to compliance with such directions as may be given under subsection (2):Provided that the Director-General shall not approve the detailed plans of any new street unless the competent authority has first given written permission for the use of the land for this purpose under the provisions of the Planning Act [Cap. 232].
(2)
The Director-General may give written directions to the person submitting a plan for a new street with regard to any of the following particulars:
compliance with this Act and any regulations made thereunder;
the line of the new street, so as to ensure that it forms a continuous street with any existing or proposed new street;
the level, material and construction of the new street;
the provision of footpaths and the size, specification and gradient of such footpaths;
the provision along the length of the new street of intersecting streets or back-lanes;
the width of the new street;
the width of any intersecting street or back-lane, which shall be of such width as the Director-General requires;
the gradients, levels and mode of drainage of the new street and of any intersecting streets or back-lanes;
the rounding of the corners of new streets;
the provision of culverts and the specification, size, and gradient of such culverts;
the provision of street lighting; and
the planting of trees.
(3)
The person to whom any such written directions are so given shall amend the plan accordingly.
(4)
The person whose plan has been approved by the Director-General and each successor in title of that person, so far as the street lies in the land acquired by him, shall lay out the new street and demarcate its boundaries by such boundary stones or other marks as are considered sufficient by the Director-General to denote the length, width and alignment of the street.
(5)
If the new street has not been laid out and demarcated within the period of 6 calendar months from the date when the plan was approved by the Director-General, the Director-General may enter upon the land and demarcate the boundaries of the new street at the expense of the person whose plan has been approved or of his successor in title.
(6)
Any person who removes, defaces or injures any stone or mark set to denote the length, width or alignment of such new street shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $200.
(7)
The person whose plan has been approved by the Director-General or his successor in title so far as the street lies in the land acquired by the successor, shall, if he constructs the new street, construct it in accordance with the plans approved by the Director-General within such period as may be specified in the approval:Provided that the Director-General may in his discretion renew his approval for such period as he may consider necessary.
(8)
Any person who —
constructs any new street otherwise than in accordance with a plan approved by the Director-General under this section;
erects any building on land abutting on a new street which has not been laid out in accordance with a plan so approved;
without the consent in writing of the Director-General erects any building or plants any hedge in such manner that any part thereof is —
in any direction less than 5.5 metres from the centre of the roadway of any street, not being a public street;
within the area laid out as a reserve for any street by the competent authority; or
in any direction less than 11 metres from the opposite side of any street or path used or intended to be used as the means of access to two or more houses exclusive of the width of any footway as the Director-General requires; or
constructs any culvert on the line of the new street drainage otherwise than in accordance with the plans and specifications approved by the Director-General,shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $500, and a Magistrate’s Court may, on the application of the Director-General make an order, which shall be deemed to be a mandatory order for the purposes of section 50 against the offender requiring him to execute any of the following works:
to alter the street;
to alter any building so built;
to remove any building so built or any hedge so planted;
to alter or remove any culvert so constructed.
(9)
Where any new street is stated to be intended for foot traffic only, the Director-General may impose such conditions for ensuring that the street shall not be used as a carriage road as he thinks fit.
(10)
Any person who keeps open or uses such street in breach of such conditions shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $500 and to a further fine not exceeding $50 for every day during or on which the offence continues or is repeated.
(11)
No person shall erect or maintain or permit to be erected or maintained any obstruction in any such street, and the Director-General may, where any such obstruction exists, take down and remove the same.
(12)
For the purposes of this section, “new street” shall be deemed to include the continuation of an existing street or the widening or alteration of any existing street or the adapting of a street made for foot traffic only for carriage traffic.
(13)
If the person giving a notice under subsection (1) is dissatisfied with any requisition or disapproval by the Director-General, he may, within 7 days from the receipt of such requisition or disapproval, appeal to the Minister whose decision shall be final.
(14)
If the Director-General does not, within two calendar months from the delivery of a notice and the plan under subsection (1) or of the date of the resubmission of the plan amended in pursuance of subsection (3), as the case may be, approve the plan, the plan shall be deemed to be approved unless the Director-General has previously disapproved it:Provided that nothing herein shall be construed to exempt the person submitting the plan from otherwise complying with the provisions of this Act or any regulations made thereunder.[18