Ash Scattering Garden at Choa Chu Kang Cemetery Complex to be respectful, dignified and open to all religious faiths

Singapore, 16 April 2019 – The National Environment Agency (NEA) is calling for a tender for the development works for the ash scattering garden at Choa Chu Kang Cemetery Complex, following a series of consultations conducted by the NEA in 2017.  

2          NEA had earlier announced in June 2018 that it will introduce inland ash scattering services at Choa Chu Kang Cemetery Complex in 2020 and new Mandai Crematorium Complex in 2021, as an additional option for the management of cremated human remains in Singapore. This decision was taken following the conclusion of a series of consultations with the religious groups, funerary industry and various stakeholders (see Annex A for a summary of the stakeholders’ engagements conducted in 2017).

Garden of Peace at Choa Chu Kang Cemetery Complex

3          The development site, located at part of an existing garden within Choa Chu Kang Cemetery Complex between Old Choa Chu Kang Road & Cemetery South Street 18, will be named Garden of Peace (see Annex B for location map).

4          NEA has designed the ash scattering garden at Choa Chu Kang Cemetery Complex to adopt an open garden concept, with designated lanes for walkways and ash scattering. (see Annex C for artist impression of Garden of Peace @ CCK). The ash scattering garden will be designed as a secular facility open to all religious faiths and will have the following design elements:

• Boundary shrubs and vegetation will be planted to demarcate the garden boundary clearly and to provide sufficient privacy;
• Landscaping and greenery will be used to create a peaceful, serene garden setting to provide a dignified and respectful environment for ash scattering;
• Ash scattering lanes will be separated to accord families privacy;
• Bed of pebbles on the ash scattering lanes will allow ashes to naturally percolate into the soil underneath;
• User-friendly features, such as wheelchair access and seating areas, will be provided for families to gather, view and participate in the ash scattering process;
• Religious ceremonies or rites, e.g. burning of joss sticks, food offerings, playing of instruments or music, will not be permitted within the garden to maintain a clean and serene environment, and the secular nature of the garden.

5          The awarded contractor for the tender will be required to integrate the ash scattering lanes and supporting facilities to the existing garden at Choa Chu Kang Cemetery Complex, as well as enhance the existing garden landscape. The ash scattering garden is expected to be operational by 2020. More details about the various aspects of the inland ash scattering services, such as operational procedures and booking arrangements, will be shared at a later juncture.

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ANNEX A

Stakeholder Engagements Conducted on Inland Ash Scattering (IAS)

NEA announced in June 2018 that it will introduce inland ash scattering (IAS) services at Choa Chu Kang Cemetery Complex in 2020 and new Mandai Crematorium Complex in 2021, as an additional option for the management of cremated human remains in Singapore. This was following the conclusion of a series of consultations with the religious groups, funerary industry and various stakeholders. The introduction of IAS services was in response to interest expressed by some members of the public for such practices to be made available here, similar to other countries or regions such as Korea, Taiwan, China, the United States and Australia. 

2          This series of consultations took place from August to December 2017, which involved the various religious groups, funerary industry and the general public. The groups were consulted on various aspects of the inland ash scattering services, such as design criteria, user experience, cultural and religious needs, operational procedures and booking arrangements.

3          During the consultations there were feedback that the user experience at the facility should be respectful and dignified, and that the facility should be secular and open to all religious faiths. There was an emphasis that the facility should adopt a garden feel and that users be accorded privacy during the act of scattering through a booking system. The fees for ash scattering should also be kept affordable. Overall, the stakeholders welcomed the provision of inland ash scattering services at Government-run facilities as an additional option for the management of cremated human remains.

Objectives and Representations of Stakeholder Engagements

ANNEX B

Location Map of Garden of Peace at Choa Chu Kang Cemetery Complex

ANNEX C

Artist Impression of Garden of Peace at Choa Chu Kang Cemetery Complex

Figure 1: Artist impression of Garden of Peace (Site Plan)

Figure 2: Artist impression of Garden of Peace (Section)