Awhile back there was this plan by the government to redevelop Ubin island. However to much public outcry prompted the government to shelve the idea for at least another 10 years or when it is necessary to develop in the future. Many residents either moved back to mainland or just continue to live there the way they were.
Ubin is a time capsule, locked in the 1960s. Electricity is still obtained from diesel operated generators and water is drawn from wells. As of April 2013, the Government began imposing rent on the villagers. Now though, Ubin residents that have owned the land for decades have to pay temporary occupation license (TOL) fees of $6 to $35 a month. This amount is expected to increase over the next five years.
Many probably do not know that any motorized vehicles here are controlled items. There is this Certificate of Entitlement or COE which is a quota license received from a successful winning bid in an open bid uniform price auction which grants the legal right of the holder to register, own and use of the limited road space in Singapore for a period of 10 years. After 10 years we have to scrap the car or get a new COE at the market price. But this is not applied to vehicles in Ubin island.
brushes and papers
brushes and papers 
December 9, 2013 at 22:38
This was very interesting and I did take the time to read more about Pulau Ubin.
December 10, 2013 at 01:11
Thank you.