Land Acquisition Act Explained – Will Kampong Lorong Buangkok Be Impacted?

Singapore’s Land Game: Who Owns What?

Picture this: over 75 % of Singapore’s land is owned by the government. Sounds like a fairy‑tale forest of public property, right? In reality, it’s all thanks to the Land Acquisition Act, the legal tool that lets the state snap up private land for public use.

Freehold vs. Leasehold – The Classic Showdown

• Freehold land is the real deal – once you’ve purchased it, you own it forever (well, until the government says “no”).
• Leasehold plots are like renting a condo: you get the keys for a set period, but the land is still technically owned by someone else.

The Act matters differently for each. When it comes to freehold properties, the government has the power to buy them outright, often for major infrastructure projects.

2023: The Thomson Road Tale

Last year, the state pocketed a four‑storey freehold block on Thomson Road to pave the way for the North‑South Corridor. The resident owners got a check for their property, but the land’s future was all hers (or none at all, depending on how you look).

Now: The Kampong Lorong Buangkok Show‑down

Fast forward to the present: a landlord in Kampong Lorong Buangkok is refusing to sell his land. That’s when the Land Acquisition Act buzz arrives again.

• Someone off Hardware Zone chimed in, arguing that the state could, in fact, go after this piece of land.
• It sparks a miniature debate: Should the government settle for a quaint old property or bulldoze through for progress?

So, there you have it. The government’s land‑hatting is not a magical spell but a well‑bound legal script. When the phase of the game changes – from a quiet suburban block to a bustling highway – the Act is the heavy‑handed referee pulling the final card.

What is the Land Acquisition Act?

Land Acquisition: Why the Government Needs Your Property

Ever think of how roads, railways, and public housing get built? The Land Acquisition Act is the legal engine behind picking up private land for the greater good.

The Law in a Nutshell

• Allows the state to take private land for public projects such as transportation infrastructure and public housing.
• Once a project is approved, the State Land Acquisition (SLA) steps in.

What Happens After the SLA Gives Notice?

• Independent valuer visits your site to figure out its fair market price.
• After the valuer’s report, you get compensation that reflects the market value on the acquisition date.
• Plus, you could receive reimbursements for:
  • Removal expenses (remove everything, they pay)
  • Legal fees tied to mortgage redemption
  • Stamp and conveyance costs

Why It Matters for You

Even though it might feel a bit like a surprise party, the compensation ensures that you’re not left empty‑handed. Think of it as a thank‑you gift from the government— though it won’t exactly be on a pink card.

In Short

The Land Acquisition Act gives the government a lawful way to build roads and homes, while you receive a fair payout, coverage for extra costs, and the chance to purchase your land’s legal documents without any extra fees. It may not be the romantic way to acquire property, but it does keep the infrastructure dreams moving forward.

Background on Land Acquisition Act

The law still exists—like a walking political easel ready for fresh paint. The government can technically pick it up any time, depending on the need:- If a future road or airport is on the horizon– If a new high‑rise property is on the to‑do list– If public housing needs the space

“If the land’s a darling of the government’s plans, it might be cleared. But the kampongs, like loyal old friends, won’t just part with their spot—let’s hope the murmur of their voices echoes louder than the clatter of bulldozers.”

Singapore’s last traditional village: Kampong Lorong Buangkok

From Jungle to Joint-Forchard: The Rock‑Solid Tale of Kampong Lorong Buangkok

Picture this: a bustling little village tucked between swaying trees and rivers, where everyone wore the same corrugated plastic skirt on sunny days. In the old days, most Singaporeans lived in such kampongs, living off the land and sharing a rope‑tight sense of community.

Reality Check: The Great Land Grab

• Government eyes: Urban redevelopment chase.
• Step 1: Grab the raw aerial footage of kampong land.
• Step 2: Offer a fat price sheet to the villages (including our hero, Kampong Lorong Buangkok).
• Result: People moved into slick HDB flats with built‑in elevators.

By the day of the property boom, the kampongs were a ghost story, a memory tucked into the corners of old school notebooks.

Keeping One Camp Alive: Sng Teow Koon’s DIY

Only one kampong stubbornly stayed: Kam.bon.g Lorong Buangkok. Why? Because a covetous Chinese medicine businessman, Sng Teow Koon, swooped in and slipped the entire tract into his pockets in 1956.

Legend says Sng was more into herbal remedies than haggling over land. Yet now his name forever ties the kampong to history, for the rest of Singapore can only remember the green long‑ago chirp of the rice paddies.

What Still Lives in Kampong Lorong Buangkok?

• Old‑school tree line that still roars when the wind sneaks through.
• A secret corner that smells like sweet gingerbread every market day.
• And the occasional ghost tour, where locals whisper, “Did you see the old legend?”

It’s a place where the past hums in the present, where history whispers your name and reminds you that even in the hyper‑modern, the heart of a kampong still beats for you.

Meet Kampong Lorong Buangkok: A Tiny Village Throwing a Shurban Party

Picture this: A sprawling 12,248 sqm plot—think just a bit more than three football fields—once named Kampong Lorong Buangkok and home to 25 families today. The place started like a boom‑town: families from Malaysia and China rented the land, built huts, and eventually turned it into a proper village complete with tap water and electricity by 1962.

From Lease to Legacy

Fast‑forward to the present: the land is under the stewardship of Sng’s children. Their youngest, Sng Mui Hong, lives in the kampong and is the official landlord. Fun fact—she doesn’t have children of her own, but the kampong’s 25 families thrive on community spirit.

Life Inside the Kampong

• The same land once rented out has now become a tight‑knit community.
• Families share water, power, and the occasional humour‑filled neighbourly gossip.
• Sng Mui Hong’s stewardship keeps the kampong lively and welcoming.

So, if you’re ever wandering the streets of Kampong Lorong Buangkok, you’ll find 25 bustling households, all woven together by a shared history and a sense that, no matter the size, community can make any space feel like home.

Land is worth millions of dollars, but landlord has refused to sell

The Kampong That Keeps Its Heart on the Ground

Why Sng Won’t Let Go of the Land

“My mother only lived here for one month and two days before she passed away,” Sng recalls in a heartfelt interview. Being just three years old at the time, the little plot of earth became the only living lap of memory she carries to this day. That emotional connection has turned the kampong into her personal shrine—and she refuses to hand it over for a sum, no matter how tempting the offers.

Offers that Made Headlines (and a Few Fumbles)

• 2007 – The Straits Times (now archived) reported that a buyer tried to purchase the land for $33 million. The deal never materialised.
• Same Month 2007 – The New Paper (also archived) noted the monthly rent swinging between $6.50 and $30, with one tenant claiming the price went up by only 30 % over the past decade. A small slice of the kampong’s income, but it’s the tiny fences that guard big memories.
• Recent – An Insider story quoted a tour guide saying Sng got a new bid of $70 million. Meanwhile, a property agent pointed out that a comparable site on Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 sold for $381.4 million, a revelation that set tongues wagging.

Why the Numbers Don’t Sing

Money can buy a lot, but it can’t buy the echoes of a mother’s laughter echoing through old wooden houses. Sng’s stand is less about greed and more about safeguarding a piece of soil that carries her earliest memories. Even if the market offers sky‑high prices, the kampong remains, defiantly, a place of simple, unpretentious history.

The future of Kampong Lorong Buangkok: Can the government acquire it through the Land Acquisition Act?

Will Kampong Lorong Buangkok Be the Last of Its Kind?

Singapore’s land crunch has turned this once‑quiet kampong into a hot ticket on the real‑estate radar. The old barangay, sprawling across a messy maze of streets, is now the center of a tug‑of‑war between tradition and progress.

What the Sng Family Says

Sng, the resident heir, keeps his strategy simple: “I’ll think about it when it happens. I just live from day to day.” That’s the spirit of a family that inherited the plot from their father and plans on passing it down for generations.

Freehold – The All‑Powerful Title

Because the land is freehold, ownership sticks with the Sng siblings forever—unlike the split‑tenure public housing we see everywhere else. Nonetheless, the Government could still step in via the Land Acquisition Act to claim it.

Past Precedents and Future Plans

• In 2017, former Second Minister Desmond Lee earmarked the biggest chunk for a major road in Seletar.
• Two smaller parcels were slated for a primary and secondary school, turning the kampong’s best‑friendly corner into a new playground.
• Another suburban stretch is destined to become a neighbourhood park—because even the government likes a bit of green.

Why the Sale isn’t the only option

Even if the Sng folks refuse to sell, the land could still be seized. Remember the Thomson Road bulldoze for the North‑South Corridor last year? Or the 2010 freehold terrace houses on Merpati and Jalan Anggerek that were taken away for the Downtown Line? Those owners had until 2015 to hand over the plots, but the SLA kept offering extensions—four rounds totaling 20 months, to be exact.

Enforcement and Court Orders

When owners held on stubbornly, the SLA slapped a 28‑day grace notice. If the stubbornness persisted, a court order was on the table to wrestle the property away. It’s a classic “no, and we’ll take it” dance.

More Theories, Less Concrete Plans

Rumours bubbling online talk about conserving the kampong—but we’ve seen no definitive timelines or concrete blueprints. Even the government says this redevelopment will likely be a few decades away.

Will We Lose the Last Kampong?

All of this means that, sooner or later, we might bid farewell to Singapore’s final kampong. A last hurrah, perhaps, but one that will leave a gaping hole in the city’s cultural tapestry.

— Originally published in 99.co; reimagined by your friendly AI copywriter.