PRESERVATION OF SITES AND MONUMENTS
The Preservation of Sites and Monuments (PSM) is the national authority that advises on the preservation of nationally significant monuments and sites in Singapore. It is guided by the Preservation of Monuments Act to provide "for the preservation and protection of National Monuments".
The PSM division’s roles and responsibilities cover four main areas:
1. Identifying, researching and recommending nationally significant sites or structures for preservation as National Monuments.
2. Protecting National Monuments through determining and issuing standards and guidelines, supporting restoration, and inspecting gazetted Monuments.
3. Promoting and stimulating public interest in the support for and awareness of National Monuments.
4. Advising the Government on matters relating to National Monuments.
The PSM division traces its roots back to January 1971 as the Preservation of Monuments Board (PMB). It was then a statutory board under the Ministry of National Development, who was responsible for identifying monuments that are worthy of preservation, based on the criteria that they are of historic, cultural, traditional, archaeological, architectural, artistic or symbolic significance and national importance.
In 1997, PMB became an independent statutory board under the Ministry of Information and the Arts (later known as Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts). On 1 July 2009, it merged with the National Heritage Board (NHB) with the passing of the revised Act of 2009 and the appointment of a Director at its helm.
On 1 July 2013, PMB was re-named the Preservation of Sites and Monuments division under NHB to better reflect its role of preserving not only buildings and monuments, but also sites which commemorate our heritage as defined under the Preservation of Monuments Act.