Overview
- The Government completed compulsory acquisition and took possession of 38 Oxley Road on Friday, July 31, to preserve the property for its historic significance.
- The National Heritage Board will carry out a detailed study on how to develop the site into a public space; necessary maintenance has begun and there is currently no public access.
- The house had been gazetted as a national monument on Dec 12, 2025 and then gazetted for acquisition on Jan 29, 2026, steps that legally bar private redevelopment of the site.
- Lee Hsien Yang publicly criticised the compulsory acquisition as a repudiation of his father’s wishes and earlier sought permission to demolish the house after Dr Lee Wei Ling’s death in October 2024.
- The Preservation of Sites and Monuments Advisory Board found the site to have strong national significance, and the dispute follows a 2018 ministerial report that offered three options for the property without making a recommendation.