Land Acquisition Act
(CHAPTER 152)

(Original Enactment: Act 41 of 1966)

REVISED EDITION 1985
(30th March 1987)
An Act to provide for the acquisition of land for public and certain other specified purposes, the assessment of compensation to be made on account of such acquisition and for purposes connected therewith.
[17th June 1967]
PART I
PRELIMINARY
Short title
1.  This Act may be cited as the Land Acquisition Act.
Interpretation
2.—(1)  In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires —
“assessor” means a member of the panel of assessors appointed under section 26(2);
“Board” means an Appeals Board constituted under section 19(1);
“Collector” has the same meaning as in the Land Revenue Collection Act (Cap. 155);
[17/2001 wef 01/06/2001]
“Commissioner” means a Commissioner of Appeals or a Deputy Commissioner of Appeals, appointed under section 19(2), and includes an acting Commissioner of Appeals or acting Deputy Commissioner of Appeals;
“common property” and “lot” have the same respective meanings as in the Land Titles (Strata) Act (Cap. 158);
[Act 26 of 2014 wef 29/09/2014]
“land” includes any airspace, subterranean space, foreshore, and benefits to arise out of land and things attached to the earth or permanently fastened to anything attached to the earth;
[Act 26 of 2014 wef 29/09/2014]
[Act 12 of 2015 wef 08/05/2015]
“management corporation”, in relation to any land comprised in a strata title plan, means the management corporation constituted in respect of that strata title plan under the Land Titles (Strata) Act;
[Act 26 of 2014 wef 29/09/2014]
“non‑lot acquisition” means an acquisition under this Act of any common property (and no other land) comprised in a strata title plan;
[Act 26 of 2014 wef 29/09/2014]
“person interested” includes every person claiming an interest in compensation to be made on account of the acquisition of land under this Act, but does not include a tenant by the month or at will;
[19/2007 wef 07/05/2007]
“remaining surface land” means any land (and airspace) above which only the airspace, or any land (and subsoil) below which only the subterranean space, is or has been acquired under this Act;
[Act 12 of 2015 wef 08/05/2015]
“severed land”, for an owner of land, means any land remaining after any other part of the owner’s land is severed because of an acquisition under this Act;
[Act 12 of 2015 wef 08/05/2015]
“State title” means any grant, any grant in fee simple or estate in perpetuity, or any State lease (of whatever tenure) whenever issued or granted by or on behalf of the Crown, the State or the East India Company;
[Act 12 of 2015 wef 08/05/2015]
“strata title plan” and “subsidiary proprietor” have the same respective meanings as in the Land Titles (Strata) Act;
[Act 26 of 2014 wef 29/09/2014]
[66/73]
[Act 12 of 2015 wef 08/05/2015]
“subterranean space” means the subsoil below the surface of the earth;
[Act 12 of 2015 wef 08/05/2015]
“temporarily occupied land” means any land temporary possession of which is or has been taken in accordance with a direction under section 42.
[Act 12 of 2015 wef 08/05/2015]
(2)  For the purposes of this Act, the following persons shall be deemed persons “entitled to act” as and to the extent hereinafter provided:
(a)trustees for other persons beneficially interested shall be deemed the persons entitled to act with reference to any such case, and that to the same extent as the persons beneficially interested could have acted if free from disability;
[19/2007 wef 07/05/2007]
(b)the management corporation for a strata title plan shall be deemed the person entitled to act for, and the person authorised to receive service within Singapore on behalf of, every subsidiary proprietor of every lot comprised in the strata title plan with reference only to any non‑lot acquisition relating to that strata title plan;
[Act 26 of 2014 wef 29/09/2014]
[Act 16 of 2016 wef 10/06/2016]
(c)the guardian of a minor is deemed the person entitled to act, to the same extent as the minor could have acted if free from disability;
[Act 16 of 2016 wef 10/06/2016]
(d)where an individual lacks capacity within the meaning of the Mental Capacity Act (Cap. 177A), each of the following persons is deemed a person entitled to act, to the same extent as that individual could have acted if free from disability:
(A)a donee of a lasting power of attorney which is granted by that individual under the Mental Capacity Act, and under which that individual confers on the donee authority to make decisions in relation to that individual for the purposes of this Act;
(B)a deputy who is appointed or deemed to be appointed for that individual by the court under the Mental Capacity Act, and who is conferred power to make decisions in relation to that individual for the purposes of this Act:
[Act 16 of 2016 wef 10/06/2016]
Provided that —
(i)no person shall be deemed “entitled to act” whose interest in the subject matter is shown to the satisfaction of the Collector, the Board or the Court of Appeal to be adverse to the interest of the person interested for whom he would otherwise be entitled to act;
(ii)in every such case the person interested may appear by a next friend, or, in default of his appearance by a next friend, the Collector, the Board or the Court of Appeal, as the case may be, shall appoint a guardian for the case to act on his behalf in the conduct thereof;
(iii)the provisions of the Rules of Court for the time being in force shall, mutatis mutandis, apply in the case of persons interested appearing before the Collector, the Board or the Court of Appeal by a next friend, or by a guardian for the case, in proceedings under this Act; and
(iv)no person “entitled to act” shall be competent to receive the compensation money payable to the person for whom he is entitled to act, unless he would have been competent to alienate the land and receive and give a good discharge for the purchase money on a voluntary sale.
(3)  Notwithstanding subsection (2)(iv) and sections 34 and 35 of the Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act (Cap. 30C), a management corporation for a strata title plan is deemed for the purposes of this Act, competent to receive the compensation money payable under this Act for any non‑lot acquisition relating to that strata title plan.
[Act 26 of 2014 wef 29/09/2014]