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Bloody hell. It's long due.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1158019/1/.html
10 new hawker centres to be built after 26 years
SINGAPORE: The government will resume the building of hawker centres to meet the needs of the community in new population centres.
It'll build its first hawker centre after 26 years in Bukit Panjang. About 10 more will be built over the next decade.
Minister for Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan announced this on Saturday, during a visit to Bukit Timah hawker centre.
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan said: "It's a part of local life, it's a place that people want to get to, it's a place where jobs, good jobs, are created for Singaporeans. And there's that sense of belonging. I think that's the most precious and unique aspect about the hawker cenres in a Singapore style."
Dr Balakrishnan said there have been calls for more hawker centres over the years.
He said the government will focus on building the hawker centres in new towns, such as Pasir Ris, Punggol and Jurong.
"My preference is that these centres be run on a not-for-profit basis, so I won't be selling centres to commercial operators," Dr Balakrishnan told reporters.
"But hawkers still have to make a living."
He said he hoped that by increasing the supply of hawker centres, customers will be assured of "good, affordable food".
Dr Balakrishnan added that his ministry will work with the HDB to set aside space for these hawker centres every time a new development comes up.
Work at the first new hawker centre will begin in the middle of next year at Bukit Panjang and be completed within three years. The centre, with cooked food and wet market sections, will be located at the junction of Bukit Panjang Road and Pending Road.
In a statement, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said that in the coming years, more hawker centres will be built to add to the current variety of eating options such as coffee shops and food courts.
Building efforts will be focused on new estates such as Punggol and Jurong, although this will be contingent on land availability.
NEA said the government will explore various management models and is open to partnering other players who are committed to keeping food affordable. Since the last hawker centre built in 1985, NEA said, the government has focused on upgrading and rejuvenating existing hawker centres.
Over S$420 million has been invested to improve the dining and marketing environment of the centres under the Hawker Centres Upgrading Programme (HUP).
It said that as an integral part of life in Singapore, hawker centres offer a wide selection of food to Singaporeans at affordable prices. It also added that they complement supermarkets, coffee shops and food courts by ensuring greater diversity and choice for residents' eating and marketing needs.
They also continue to play a valuable social role in providing a shared space for the community, serving as places for social interaction for Singaporeans from all walks of life.
NEA said that public feedback reaffirms the continued importance and demand for hawker centres.
For example, the 2009 URA Lifestyle Survey released in 2010 suggests that F&B outlets, such as hawker centres, are an important aspect affecting residents' quality of life.
NEA said hawker centres are also central to the identity of a neighbourhood and are a unique feature of what makes Singapore special to its people.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1158019/1/.html
10 new hawker centres to be built after 26 years
SINGAPORE: The government will resume the building of hawker centres to meet the needs of the community in new population centres.
It'll build its first hawker centre after 26 years in Bukit Panjang. About 10 more will be built over the next decade.
Minister for Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan announced this on Saturday, during a visit to Bukit Timah hawker centre.
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan said: "It's a part of local life, it's a place that people want to get to, it's a place where jobs, good jobs, are created for Singaporeans. And there's that sense of belonging. I think that's the most precious and unique aspect about the hawker cenres in a Singapore style."
Dr Balakrishnan said there have been calls for more hawker centres over the years.
He said the government will focus on building the hawker centres in new towns, such as Pasir Ris, Punggol and Jurong.
"My preference is that these centres be run on a not-for-profit basis, so I won't be selling centres to commercial operators," Dr Balakrishnan told reporters.
"But hawkers still have to make a living."
He said he hoped that by increasing the supply of hawker centres, customers will be assured of "good, affordable food".
Dr Balakrishnan added that his ministry will work with the HDB to set aside space for these hawker centres every time a new development comes up.
Work at the first new hawker centre will begin in the middle of next year at Bukit Panjang and be completed within three years. The centre, with cooked food and wet market sections, will be located at the junction of Bukit Panjang Road and Pending Road.
In a statement, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said that in the coming years, more hawker centres will be built to add to the current variety of eating options such as coffee shops and food courts.
Building efforts will be focused on new estates such as Punggol and Jurong, although this will be contingent on land availability.
NEA said the government will explore various management models and is open to partnering other players who are committed to keeping food affordable. Since the last hawker centre built in 1985, NEA said, the government has focused on upgrading and rejuvenating existing hawker centres.
Over S$420 million has been invested to improve the dining and marketing environment of the centres under the Hawker Centres Upgrading Programme (HUP).
It said that as an integral part of life in Singapore, hawker centres offer a wide selection of food to Singaporeans at affordable prices. It also added that they complement supermarkets, coffee shops and food courts by ensuring greater diversity and choice for residents' eating and marketing needs.
They also continue to play a valuable social role in providing a shared space for the community, serving as places for social interaction for Singaporeans from all walks of life.
NEA said that public feedback reaffirms the continued importance and demand for hawker centres.
For example, the 2009 URA Lifestyle Survey released in 2010 suggests that F&B outlets, such as hawker centres, are an important aspect affecting residents' quality of life.
NEA said hawker centres are also central to the identity of a neighbourhood and are a unique feature of what makes Singapore special to its people.
