President clears JTC foreshore lease for vehicular link bridge

President Tharman Shanmugaratnam has declared that an 80-year lease of seabed and foreshore granted to JTC for a vehicular link bridge does not create a substantial infringement of public rights. The declaration, made under section 9(1) of the Foreshores Act 1920, was published in the Republic of Singapore Government Gazette as Notification No. 5356, first published on 15 September 2026.

The declaration follows a statutory consultation in which the proposed lease was advertised and no objections were received by the Minister. It clears the way for the use of the state-owned foreshore for a dedicated vehicular access bridge.

The declaration and its legal basis

Section 9(1) of the Foreshores Act 1920 empowers the President to make leases of the foreshore and seabed in Singapore that are declared not to create a substantial infringement of public rights. Before any such declaration, section 9(3) requires the substance of the lease, with a sufficient description of the property, to be published in the Gazette together with a notice inviting written objections to the Minister within three weeks of publication.

The proposed lease was first advertised in Gazette Notification No. 4244 of 2026 on 24 July 2026. As no objection was received, the President proceeded to issue the declaration, dated 10 September 2026.

The lease at a glance

The lease covers a defined parcel of foreshore and seabed within Singapore’s territorial waters, to be used exclusively for a link bridge for vehicular access.

• Lessee: JTC
• Tenure: 80 years, 5 months and 27 days, with effect from 14 September 2000 until 12 March 2081
• Area: approximately 3,683.5 square metres, known as Lot 5050X MK 6
• Boundaries: delineated on Certified Plan No. 90826, filed in the office of the Chief Surveyor, Singapore
• Purpose: link bridge for vehicular access only

What the declaration means

The declaration confirms that the lease does not substantially infringe public rights, satisfying the precondition set out in the Foreshores Act 1920 for the grant of the lease. Because the consultation window closed without objections, the President was able to certify the lease in the form proposed.

For readers, the notice signals the formal green light for a piece of local transport infrastructure on state-owned foreshore, with the lease term running to 2081. It also illustrates the statutory process by which public rights over Singapore’s seabed and foreshore are safeguarded before such land is committed to long-term development.

Source: Republic of Singapore Government Gazette, No. 5356, 15 September 2026, Notices under other Acts (official reference: Notification No. 5356, Foreshores Act 1920).