Save Gillman Forest
Gillman Forest has stood for generations. Within months, a decision could be made to clear it. And once a mature forest is lost, no amount of replanting brings it back. Add your voice today, and help us keep Gillman standing for generations to come.
What clearing Gillman would destroy
Gillman is not empty land. It is a mature forest decades in the making that cannot be recreated, a living link between Berlayer Creek, Labrador and the Southern Ridges, and one of Singapore’s most effective natural cooling landscapes. It is a sanctuary where people walk, breathe and restore their health, and one of the rare places where heritage, art and nature meet. Clear it, and none of it comes back.
Decades of natural regeneration that cannot simply be recreated.
A vital link between Berlayer Creek, Labrador Nature Reserve and the Southern Ridges.
One of Singapore’s most effective natural urban cooling landscapes.
Daily access to walking, forest bathing, birdlife and restorative green space.
Proven benefits for physical health, mental wellbeing and quality of life.
A rare place where heritage, arts and nature exist together.
Once cleared, these ecological and community values cannot be fully restored.
Who else lives here
Gillman is somebody’s habitat. These are its residents and the layers of forest they depend on, all photographed here by people who walk this ground.
Nests inside natural cavities in old, large trees. Those hollows take decades to form, so a replanted forest cannot offer them.
Moves in loud family parties through the dense low growth, which is the first layer to go when land is cleared.
Native, nocturnal and seldom seen. It spreads the seeds of the fruit it eats, quietly replanting the forest as it goes.
A stream threads through the forest floor. It supports its own community of life and feeds into the wider Berlayer Creek system.
Ferns, saplings and climbers below the canopy. This is where most of the forest’s smaller residents feed, shelter and nest.
Mature trees closing overhead. The layered structure is what cools the air, holds the soil and houses everything above.
Gillman sits between Berlayer Creek, Labrador Nature Reserve and the Southern Ridges. Species like these move between those green spaces. Remove the link in the middle and the habitat on either side is left fragmented.
Two ways to be counted
Make your voice count
Events
The Gillman forest walk has just re-opened
Watch out for upcoming events to be announced soon
Letters & reports
If you have a letter you would like to send, here are the contacts of the MPs covering Tanjong Pagar GRC and key decision maker Minister.
| Name | Constituency | Government position | Email address |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chan Chun Sing | Buona Vista | Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Minister for Defence | chan_chun_sing@mindef.gov.sg |
| Alvin Tan Sheng Hui | Moulmein-Cairnhill | Minister of State for Trade and Industry, and National Development | alvin.tan@pap.org.sg |
| Joan Pereira | Henderson-Dawson | Member of Parliament | joan.pereira@pap.org.sg |
| Foo Cexiang | Tanjong Pagar-Tiong Bahru | Minister of State | Foo.Cexiang@pap.org.sg |
| Rachel Ong | Telok Blangah | Member of Parliament | rachel.ong@pap.org.sg |
| Grace Fu | Minister for Sustainability and the Environment | grace_fu@mse.gov.sg |
The dialogue
The dialogue with our Ministers, MPs and the representatives of HDB, URA, NParks and MSE is ongoing. Here is where it stands.
26 July 2026 · Gillman Barracks and Forest Community Forum
Residents came together for a community-led dialogue, “The Future of Gillman Barracks”, to understand the plans and share their views ahead of the sessions with the planning agencies.
30 July 2026 — dialogue with MP Rachel Ong and representatives of HDB, URA and NParks
1 August 2026 — dialogue with MP David Hoe, MP Lee Hui Ying and the Nature Society
A session at EtonHouse, Orchard Road, hosted by the Young PAP Advisers and moderated by a member of the Nature Society, held under Chatham House rules. It opened with an explanation of how an Environmental Impact Assessment is commissioned and what it covers, then moved to open questions and four smaller discussion groups.
Recurring themes from the floor:
- The four-week feedback window is too short for a report of this size, and is the same regardless of how large the development is.
- An EIA is commissioned only after the decision to redevelop has been made, so it can mitigate but not reconsider. The Nature Society noted there is no precedent for such a decision being reversed, and that the time to be heard is during Master Plan brainstorming — while adding that feedback through the HDB channel is still worth giving.
- The assessment covers flora and fauna but not urban heat, cultural value, opportunity cost, or the interests of future generations.
- Doubts about whether mitigation measures are enforced, citing Berlayer Creek at the former Keppel site, where trees and mangroves were lost despite similar assurances.
- Questions about the transparency of the housing demand figures behind the plans.
- Calls for the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment to take a leading role.
- On Gillman specifically: most of the native-dominated forest would be kept, but a large area of exotic forest would be lost, and the corridor to Labrador Park at 30 m is narrower than it should be. Gillman is the connector between the Southern Ridges and Labrador Park; without it, the forests fragment.
MP David Hoe asked each group for the one question they would most want put to Parliament, and said that public feedback can make a difference — “nothing is cast in stone”.
Stay in the loop
Join the residents’ group
Follow what’s happening, track the campaign, and lend your voice. The more of us there are, the harder we are to ignore.