Written Answer by Ministry of National Development on whether HDB will consider building bigger format BTOs and communal working spaces within HDB estates to facilitate work from home in the new normal

Jul 5, 2021

Ms Poh Li San: To ask the Minister for National Development whether HDB will consider (i) building bigger format BTOs and communal working spaces within HDB estates to facilitate work from home in the new normal and (ii) converting industrial and commercial areas of low utilisation into parkland and recreational spaces. 

Answer:

We recognise that working from home, due to COVID-19, has become more prevalent. The Government is actively studying and engaging with the public, and will continue to ensure a liveable and flexible environment that can support changing needs of our residents, workers and students.

We will continue to cater to changing lifestyles and needs both by exploring new designs and layouts of HDB flats, and by providing more shared amenities. For instance, HDB has introduced more greenery, play and fitness equipment to enhance the common space in our precincts and neighbourhoods. These extended common spaces encourage healthy lifestyles and community bonding. We have over 7,800 ha of green spaces across Singapore, and will add another 1,000 ha over the next 10 to 15 years, weaved more intensively into our urban areas.

The Government has also made community workspaces available within residential neighbourhoods. These include Community Living Rooms within HDB void decks, and work and study spaces within other public buildings such as community clubs and libraries. We will continue to monitor demand for these spaces, and scale them up if needed.

The Member has also suggested that we convert some of our existing industrial and commercial land into parkland and recreational spaces. We seek to maximise the benefits and synergies that these spaces can offer to businesses and people. For example, many of JTC’s industrial estates, such as one-north and Jurong Innovation District, have food and beverage outlets, parks and recreational uses integrated in the estate, which also serve users in the community.

When certain industrial uses are phased out, we have comprehensively redeveloped the land for other uses, or put the buildings to adaptive re-use. Examples include the conversion of old shipyards at Tanjong Rhu into a residential area, the repurposing of two disused power station buildings in the Pasir Panjang Power District, as well as the planned rejuvenation of older estates in Sungei Kadut for new growth sectors, such as agri-food and environmental technologies.

Currently, commercial spaces take up only 1 per cent of our overall land area, and the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on office and retail space demand remains to be seen. We are closely monitoring the evolving market trends, and have built flexibility into our plans and strategies so that we can continue to meet the changing needs of our people. 

At a broader level, we invite Singaporeans to contribute their ideas and aspirations for Singapore’s land use plans as part of URA’s Long-Term Plan Review later this year.