Oral Answer by Ministry of National Development on HDB commercial shops
Mar 1, 2016
Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for National Development:
(a) what are the plans for HDB commercial shops that have their 30-year lease expiring in a few years; and
(b) what are the long term plans for towns with these commercial shops not partaking in the Revitalisation of Shops (ROS) scheme.
Answer:
Similar to other leasehold properties, the shops which had been sold by HDB on 30-year lease will be returned to the lessor (in this case, HDB) upon the expiry of the lease. Where possible and if in line with future planning intentions, HDB can consider allowing lessees to rent the shops after the lease expires.
HDB shops are an integral part of public housing estates and are provided to meet residents’ needs. The Revitalisation of Shops or ROS scheme has been designed specifically for HDB shops, to help enhance their vibrancy and improve their competitiveness. Under this scheme, the Local Merchants’ Associations have the opportunity to lead and drive the revitalisation of their respective shop clusters, with funding support from the Town Council and HDB. To-date, 50% of HDB Town Centres and Neighbourhood Centres have benefitted from the ROS scheme.
Besides the ROS, HDB has other programmes to rejuvenate older towns and estates, like the Remaking Our Heartland (ROH) programme, which provides enhancements for the entire town.
MND and HDB have also been reviewing the ROS scheme with the aim of encouraging more retailers to upgrade their shops and business operations. The outcome of the review will be announced in due course.