News
Conserved buildings are subjected to strict conservation controls.
April 22, 2026, 01:09 PM
A 54-year-old man has been convicted of one count of carrying out unauthorised works to a conserved shophouse located at 32 Desker Road.
Manickam Nagarajan, a Singapore permanent resident, was fined S$250,000, said the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) in a press release.
The shophouse owner, Layan Management Pte. Ltd was convicted of one count of permitting Nagarajan to carry out the unauthorised works.
An additional charge for failing to appoint a qualified person to supervise works on-site was taken into consideration by the court in the sentencing of Layan.
Layan was fined S$150,000 and also required to reinstate and restore the building at its own cost.
Loss of heritage value
Nagarajan and Layan’s actions have led to the irreversible loss of heritage value of the historic shophouse, which had stood for more than a century, URA said.
Conserved buildings are important physical markers of Singapore’s shared history and identity and are therefore subject to strict conservation controls, the authority explained.
Owners are required to ensure that any proposed works to their buildings comply with URA’s Conservation Guidelines and obtain conservation permission from URA and relevant technical agencies prior to any commencement of works.
Unauthorised works, particularly demolition, cause irreversible damage and result in the permanent loss of Singapore’s historic fabric, URA added.
As structural integrity may be compromised, carrying out building works without prior approval from the relevant authorities and supervision by a qualified person may also pose safety risks to both building occupants and those in surrounding buildings.
What happened
In October 2022, Nagarajan purchased the shophouse in the Little India conservation area, with the purchase done through Layan.
At the time of purchase, the shophouse was in its original form with key architectural features intact.
The shophouse’s original first storey façade was particularly significant as a rare surviving example of a typical residential front of shophouses built around 1913 to 1914, URA said.
“Characterised by a double-leafed timber door flanked on both sides by timber-framed casement windows with vertical iron security bars, these features were characteristic of residential typology at the time,” URA added.
Despite knowing that the shophouse was a conserved building requiring URA’s conservation permission for any renovation works, Nagarajan proceeded to engage Layan’s workers directly to carry out renovation works to convert the shophouse into a co-living development without first seeking the necessary approvals from URA.
URA received feedback on this and later conducted an inspection of the shophouse and discovered the unauthorised works on Jan. 6, 2023.
A written notice was issued to Layan informing the company of the breach and requiring that work cease.
URA subsequently followed up with inspections to ensure compliance.
Demolition of several architectural features
Nagarajan and Layan’s “blatant disregard” for the law resulted in the demolition of several architectural features of the conserved shophouse, URA said.
These included the first-storey residential front, the rear facade with timber casement windows and green glazed ceramic vents, and the entire rear service block.
Kelvin Ang, director of URA’s conservation management department, said, “Conserving built heritage is an integral part of Singapore’s development. These buildings are enduring touchstones of our shared history, culture and identity, providing continuity amid change. Safeguarding them ensures that future generations remain connected to our past, even as the city evolves.”
“In this case, the parties’ egregious breach of the law led to the irrevocable loss of the original heritage fabric of a rare historic pre-war building that had endured through time. While the building may eventually be reconstructed, its authentic historic materials cannot be recovered or replicated, and new materials will have to be used in its rebuilding. The parties had knowingly contravened URA’s Conservation Guidelines and wilfully proceeded with the unauthorised works, demonstrating a blatant disregard for the regulations. URA has taken firm enforcement action against them to uphold the integrity of the guidelines.”
Members of the public can report suspected cases via URA’s website. All information provided will be kept strictly confidential, URA said.
If found guilty under the Planning Act 1998, offenders may be liable to a fine of up to S$500,000, or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, or both.
Top photo from Google Maps
