Speech by Minister Desmond Lee on the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme

Jun 1, 2024


Dr Tan Wu Meng, Grassroots Adviser for Clementi

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good morning. I’m very glad to join all of you and Adviser Dr Tan for Learning Fest @ Clementi.

We are now at Clementi Town Centre, a bustling hub in the heart of Clementi. HDB is committed to continually upgrade our towns and residential estates through programmes such as the Remaking our Heartland Programme and the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme, or NRP.  We will continue to refresh existing amenities and introduce new ones.  Even as we build new estates, we are committed to rejuvenating and revitalising older estates. This keeps our towns and neighbourhoods vibrant and liveable.

I’m happy to announce that Clementi Town Centre has been selected for upgrading in the latest batch of the NRP. This is part of a larger effort to launch 23 NRP projects this year to revitalise estates across 11 town councils, covering blocks built up to 1995. These 23 projects are located across the island, including in Hougang, Choa Chu Kang, and Pasir Ris.

I encourage all residents to come forward and share your ideas with Dr Tan Wu Meng, your Grassroots Leaders, and your town council. Depending on your needs and preferences, some enhancements may include:

  • Covered linkways for greater connectivity;
  • Enhanced wayfinding features to make navigation easier;
  • Refreshed tiling along facades and shopfronts;
  • Rest points for families and seniors doing some shopping; and more. 

With town councils continuing to face material and manpower cost increases, we will raise the NRP funding for this current batch of projects from $4,700 to $6,100 per flat.  This will ensure that you continue to upgrade your estates and proceed with your plans even as you operate in a higher cost environment.

In total, over $95 million will be set aside for these 23 projects in this batch of the NRP, which are expected to benefit more than 15,600 households across Singapore. We hope that this supports our town councils and grassroots to deliver meaningful enhancements at the block and precinct level for residents.

Over the years, we have been implementing various upgrading programmes, ranging from the Home Improvement Programme, or HIP, and the Enhancement for Active Seniors programme, or EASE, within flats, and the Estate Upgrading Programme for private residential estates.

With a rapidly ageing society, we are making a bigger and more concerted push to address our seniors’ needs in our estates. 

Last year, we announced Age Well SG, a nation-wide transformation across areas of housing, transport, active ageing, and healthcare to better support ageing in the community.

In line with Age Well SG, future projects under the NRP will include many more senior-friendly amenities that enable seniors to stay active, stay engaged, and go about their daily activities safely and confidently.

For older precincts that have already undergone upgrading and are not eligible for the NRP, we will also progressively introduce senior-friendly enhancements to over 20 such precincts with a higher density of seniors.

This will potentially benefit more than 21,000 households in Ang Mo Kio, Bukit Merah, Queenstown, and Toa Payoh.

To ensure that the upgrading works are delivered in a holistic manner, we will coordinate with various agencies including AIC, LTA, and NParks, as well as the local Grassroots Adviser and town council.

In closing, it is important that we continue to rejuvenate our towns and precincts, and to do so in a thoughtful, practical, and resident-centric manner.

As residents, you know your neighbourhood best. Over the next few months, the local grassroots and town councils will be reaching out to seek your views and suggestions. I encourage everyone to actively participate in these engagements and share feedback on the enhancements that you would like to see in your neighbourhood.

Allow me to now share these updates in Mandarin.

大家早上好！很高兴能够出席今天的活动。

建屋发展局自2007年起实施邻区更新计划 (简称NRP），翻新邻里的设施，改善居民们的生活环境， 也为邻里注入新活力。

很高兴宣布，最新一批的邻区更新计划将涵盖11个市镇理事会属下的23个项目。 这些项目遍布全岛，包括后港、蔡厝港和巴西立等，都是在1995年或之前兴建的组屋区；而我们今天所在的地方，金文泰市镇中心，也是获选加入邻区更新计划的地区之一。

为了帮助市镇理事会应对上涨的费用，建屋发展局也将提高翻新预算。 每个组屋单位的预算将从4700元增至6100元。总的来说，政府将拨款超过9千5百万元资助这23个翻新项目；超过1万5千6百户家庭将从中受惠。

大家可能记得， 政府去年推出乐龄SG计划，支持年长者在家中或社区里原地养老。 这是一项全国性的转型计划，包括住屋、交通、和护理服务等领域。目的是为了支持年长国人享有活跃、健康的生活。

因此，下一批的邻区更新计划项目将包括更多促进年长者身心健康的设施，方便他们在邻里走动，保持活跃。

大家对自己的社区是最熟悉不过的。我鼓励各位把宝贵的建议和想看到的设施提呈给您的基层顾问和市镇理事会。 让我们一起打造更宜居，更温暖的家园！

Thank you, and have a good day ahead.