SINGAPORE – National broadcaster Mediacorp recently redecorated a conserved bungalow for filming without first getting necessary permission from the authorities, The Straits Times has learnt.
The works, which included the repainting of part of the building’s facade, were done on a bungalow near Mount Faber that Mediacorp had rented to shoot scenes for its upcoming series Emerald Hill – a spin-off of the hit Chinese drama The Little Nonya.
Mediacorp had also replaced the building’s windows and embellished its facade with what looked like ornamental tiles.
The changes came to light after Mediacorp hosted a tour of the set for the media on June 7.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) then inspected the site on June 18, following feedback from a member of the heritage conservation community.
While URA – Singapore’s conservation authority – allowed the changes on the basis that they were “superficial in nature” and did not affect the building’s original condition, it reminded Mediacorp that permission had to be sought for such works.
The two-storey bungalow, which belongs to the state, dates to around 1899, when it was built to house the manager of the New Harbour Dock Company, which managed Keppel Harbour. It was conserved in 2005.
It is one of Singapore’s more than 7,200 conserved buildings and structures, and approval must be sought before changes or modifications are made, and these have to comply with URA’s conservation guidelines.
But a URA spokesperson told ST that the agency did not receive an application for the works Mediacorp had done on the building.
That said, the agency added that “the works can be allowed under the prevailing guidelines and no historic materials have been damaged”.
URA’s conservation guidelines detail what can or cannot be done with conserved properties, such as architectural features that need to be kept.
More at https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...-bungalow-done-without-necessary-approval-ura
