Is Shanmugam building a palace at Ridout Road?

Minister K Shanmugam is understood to still reside at 26 Ridout Road, despite no public disclosure of a lease extension. Large-scale earthworks are ongoing for his “palace”, yet no approvals are publicly recorded. Given that his lease is set to expire in 2027, why are there such long-term modifications being carried out?

26 Ridout Road is one of Singapore’s largest and most prestigious black-and-white colonial bungalows.

It was previously occupied by businessman Rajan Pillai, the Biscuit King, and was once described as a “palace,” featuring Persian carpets, a four-tiered chandelier, and a domed ceiling.

The property has been leased to Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam since June 2018 under a 3+3+3-year lease structure, which entered its final term in June 2024 and will expire in June 2027.

While SLA has not officially disclosed the lease extension or confirmed it in response to queries from TOC, ground visits confirm his continued residence, with Gurkha security personnel stationed on-site.

The property’s original size was 9,350 square metres (~100,650 square feet), but in 2018, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) expanded it to 23,164 square metres (~249,250 square feet)—making it nearly three times larger than its original size and one of the largest residential plots in Singapore.

This followed discussions between Shanmugam and SLA, an agency he oversees as Minister for Law, during which he raised concerns about the maintenance of the adjacent land and potential health and safety issues. As part of the arrangement, he agreed to maintain the additional land at his own cost.

Earthworks Observed, but No Public Records of Approval

Satellite images from Google Maps and Apple Maps reveal that significant earthworks have been carried out at 26 Ridout Road since at least May 2024, with modifications continuing into 2025.

However, a review of public records indicates that no approvals have been listed for these works in the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) registry.

Inquiries sent to SLA and URA in September 2024 and February 2025 have not received a response.

URA Regulations on Earthworks and Missing Approvals

Under URA regulations, earthworks are defined as:

According to URA guidelines, planning permission is required for earthworks that exceed 2,000 square metres or alter land levels by more than 1.5 metres relative to the surrounding terrain.

While satellite imagery confirms that extensive earthworks have taken place, the precise land area affected and the extent of elevation changes cannot be determined solely from these images. However, the cleared land appears comparable to or slightly larger than the built-up area of the property, indicating significant modifications to the site.

URA regulations allow an exception if earthworks are carried out as part of an approved building project, in which case a separate earthworks submission is not required.

A search of Building and Construction Authority (BCA) records reveals that two applications were made for Permits to Commence Structural Works at 26 Ridout Road between January 2024 and December 2024:

• January 2024 – Proposed addition and alteration involving one-to-one replacement of damaged timber members to the existing residential building (S$50,000), spanning three months.

• June 2024 – Proposed additions and alterations works (S$150,000) spanning five months.

However, while the January 2024 addition and alteration work is recorded as approved by URA on its OneMap platform as of December 2023, the June 2024 S$150,000 project is not listed.

Additionally, two other projects recorded on the platform in April and December 2024 do not have corresponding BCA permits based on public records for Permits to Commence Structural Works.

The April 2024 URA permit describes the project as: “Proposed retention of timber floor beam & joists at the main building and timber beams at the linkway to the existing 2-storey conserved residential house.”

The December 2024 URA permit describes the project as: “Proposed restoration and replacement of existing doors and windows to conserved detached house at 26 Ridout Road.”

However, as of 14 February 2025, there are no corresponding BCA permits for either project, and permits for January 2025 remain unavailable on BCA’s website.

This is not typical, as structural modifications involving timber beams and joists would generally require BCA approval. Meanwhile, the June 2024 S$150,000 project has a BCA permit but no matching URA approval, creating further inconsistencies in regulatory records.

This raises key questions:

• What exactly does this S$150,000 project involve?

• If it was approved, why is it not reflected on URA’s platform like the smaller S$50,000 project?

• If this work is linked to the large-scale earthworks seen in satellite images, why is there no record of planning permission?

More at https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2025/02/14/is-shanmugam-building-a-palace-at-ridout-road/