Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan called for creativity in land use in order that residents can maintain the high quality of living environment.

"Our mid-term concept plan review has concluded that we have sufficient land to cater to our land needs in the future if we use this precious resource judiciously and wisely," he told a seminar here.

"The challenge is to come up with creative solutions to accommodate land demand, while maintaining a good quality of living environment."

More land will now be allotted for companies from high value added industries like petrochemicals, wafer fabrication and pharmaceuticals, Mah said.

Land will also be needed to accommodate medical facilities to cater to the rising number of foreign patients seeking treatment here, hotels, air and sea ports as well as other infrastructure.

Singapore's concept plan, which maps out a blueprint for the next 40-50 years, was last reviewed in 2001. While the plan is revisited every ten years, Mah said the government recently carried out a mid-term review.

Singapore will now base its long-term planning for housing, public transport and industry on a projected population of 6.5 million people.

When the concept plan was reviewed in 2001, Singapore's population was at 3.9 million. Mah said it now stood at 4.5 million.

Mah stressed that 6.5 million is not a target population figure for Singapore, but a "planning parameter."

The government is giving cash incentives and other benefits to couples who have three or more children in a bid to encourage population growth.

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