Speech by Minister Desmond Lee on the Home Improvement Programme at "Nanyang by Foot"

Jul 28, 2024

Good morning! I’m happy to see all of you and Adviser Mr Ang Wei Neng for “Nanyang by Foot”, and I’m very encouraged to see how lively, active and cohesive this community is.

Friends, to keep our neighbourhoods thriving, our physical environment must keep pace. This is why the Government continually upgrades our older flats and our estates so that Singaporeans can continue to enjoy a quality home and living environment. 

Some of you will be aware that upgrading works are currently going on at Jurong West Street 81 under the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme or NRP, that is why we improve the estates around your homes, the communal areas, and the open spaces around the estates. In the coming months, Mr Ang and his team will also be conducting events to engage you on the upgrading works you would like to see at Jurong West Street 91 and 92. When these works are completed, you will be able to enjoy new precinct amenities such as fitness corners, playgrounds, and covered linkways. 

The other programme that has been very well-received is HDB’s Lift Upgrading Programme. Since 2001, HDB has progressively and successfully installed lifts in more than 5,000 blocks which were originally built without direct lift access. Today, around 99% of all our HDB blocks were either built with direct lift access or have benefitted from lift upgrading. Here in Nanyang estate, at Jurong West Street 91, lift upgrading works are currently ongoing at 2 blocks, scheduled to be completed at the end of next year. When completed, this will enhance greatly accessibility and convenience  for residents, especially for our seniors and those with mobility difficulties. We will continue to explore bringing lift upgrading to more blocks, where possible.

The Town Council plays an important role, keeping our estates clean and well-maintained. Through the cyclical Repairs and Redecoration programme, our blocks are regularly repainted and installed with energy saving fittings. Since July 2020, the Town Council has repainted 100 blocks, and will be painting another 50 blocks in the next one to two years.

Now today, I will focus on the Home Improvement Programme as well as the Estate Upgrading Programme, to refresh and rejuvenate both our HDB estates as well as our private housing estates.

Home Improvement Programme (HIP)

Let me first touch on HDB’s Home Improvement Programme, or HIP.

The HIP keeps our HDB flats in good condition by addressing common maintenance issues, for example if your ceiling is spalling or when there are ceiling leaks. Since we launch this programme in 2007, 410,000 flats have been selected for HIP.

This year, I am glad to announce that almost 700 blocks, covering more than 53,000 households all across Singapore, will benefit from HIP. The HIP is heavily subsidised and over $742 million has been set aside for these improvement works to be carried out under HIP.

Here in Nanyang, more than 4,000 households, across 56 blocks, have been selected for HIP. 

There are two main components of improvement works under HIP:

First, we have the essential improvements, which are fully funded by the Government. It covers repairs to spalling concrete, replacement of waste pipes and old pipe sockets with an upgraded and safer retractable clothes drying rack.

Second, we have optional components, that you can choose whether you want to have and you can choose from a suite of options to spruce up your homes. For example, a makeover of toilets, replacement of flat’s entrance door and gate, and a new refuse chute hopper.

Eligible households can also choose to add fittings under the Enhancement for Active Seniors, or EASE, programme, to make our homes safer and more accessible for our seniors.

These optional elements but nevertheless they are heavily subsidised by Government.

Over the years, our HDB’s research team has pursued innovative ways to improve the liveability in both our estates and our homes. Through close collaboration with our industry partners and by leveraging on new technology, HDB has continuously been improving the way we maintain our homes and estates, by developing more effective and sustainable methods. 

For blocks selected for HIP this year, I am glad to share that HDB will be implementing a new approach, an enhanced repair method, known as Corrosion Resistant Repair method, to address spalling concrete issues in toilets and bathrooms. As flats age, and if we don’t regularly paint our ceilings, moisture from our damp environment will cause the reinforced steel bars embedded in the concrete to start to rust, and when it rusts, it starts to expand. When it expands, it puts pressure on the concrete in your ceiling and this is what causes spalling concrete. As toilets and bathrooms are exposed to high levels of moisture, it will increase the likelihood and extent of spalling concrete in these areas. Some of you feedback to us that even after the affected area is repaired and patched up using the conventional treatment methods that are currently available, the problem may reoccur in a different part of the ceiling – so the household may end up needing to repair spalling concrete a few times before the problem is fully repaired and resolved. And this can cause you to be frustrated and it costs you to suffer inconvenience.

Now let me share that in this new method, the enhanced repair method, which we call Corrosion Resistant Repair, or CRR, HDB will bring in contractors to apply multiple anti-corrosion coatings to the steel bars and concrete, which will greatly improve their resistance to further corrosion. So think of it like a few extra layers of protection for your ceilings. Repairs done using these new coatings will last longer, will minimise inconvenience faced by you and other residents when repair works are carried out. Nevertheless, after treatment, we encourage residents to keep up your home maintenance and paint your walls and ceilings regularly. Compared to the existing method of treating spalling concrete, this is more lasting and this will reduce recurrence that you see after we we’ve patched up part of your ceiling. 

Over the next few months, the HDB team will progressively reach out to you with more information on the Home Improvement Programme or HIP. I encourage all of you to sign up for the programme.

Estate Upgrading Programme (EUP)

Apart from our HDB estates, we are also committed to upgrade our private estates. Let me now touch on the Estate Upgrading Programme, or EUP. 

The EUP aims to enhance the living environment of older private residential estates by upgrading community infrastructure in our private estates.

To date, the Government has allocated funds under the EUP to benefit about 54,000 households across 74 estates across Singapore. Here in Nanyang, we have our Westwood Estate, which has been selected for upgrading under Batch 10 of the EUP. 

Let me thank our residents for providing your feedback on the improvements that you would like to see in the upgrading plans for Westwood Estate to Mr Ang as well as the other members of the Working Committee. I am happy to share that through your suggestions and ideas, we are planning a new Westwood Family Park that will feature a sheltered stage, open badminton courts, a playground, and an exercise corner. Work is expected to start later this year. When it is completed, this park will be a conducive place for the Westwood community to interact, to bond, to exercise, and spend time outdoors.

We have arranged for a simple exhibition to present our recent as well as our upcoming improvement plans for you, here in Nanyang. I encourage you to walk through the exhibition, look through our plans, and most importantly give us your feedback. We want to work together with you to improve our homes and build a better living environment for ourselves, our children, and grandchildren.

Allow me to now share in Mandarin.

大家早上好! 很高兴能够出席今天的活动。

政府多年来，不断地翻新政府组屋和住宅区。对于居住在组屋的国人，家居改进计划， 是最重要的翻新计划之一。

家居改进计划主要分为三个部分，必要项目、自选项目和乐龄易计划，或者EASE。

必要项目包括 修 复 结 构 性 裂 缝和洋 灰 剥 落、更换排 污 水管、安装晾衣架，以及提高电力负荷量。

自选项目则包括更换住家大门、铁门、垃圾槽盖和厕所翻新等。

2007年起推行的家居改进计划已有41万户家庭被获选参加计划。

今天，我很高兴宣布，超过5万3千户家庭被选中参与最新一批的家居改进计划。

而我们今天所在的地方，南洋区，也是获选加入家居改进计划的地区之一。

家居改进计划获得政府的高额津贴。政府将拨款超过7.4亿元资助最新一批的翻新计划。

除此之外 ，建屋发展局也不断开发新的科技 ，让居民享有更舒适的居住环境。

最新一批的家居改进计划将采用新的修复方法，来解决天花板 洋 灰 剥 落的问题。洋 灰 剥 落 大多发生在屋里较潮湿的地方，如厕所和浴室。

这个新的修复方法，有助于强化厕所的天花板，降低 洋 灰 剥 落的风险。

我鼓励大家大力·支持家居改进计划，改善居住环境。

除了更新政府组屋区, 政府也会通过私人住宅区翻新计划(简称EUP ) 来翻新私人住宅区。

通过EUP, 我们为一些较老的住宅区提升社区 基 础 设 施，从而改善居住环境。

非常感谢居民向洪维能和工委会为西林 (Westwood)的翻新计划提供意见。我们将建设一个新的公园。 公园内将设有盖舞台，户外羽毛球场，游乐场和建身角落。翻新工程会在今年开始。公园建成后，会是另一个能让居民互动和建立更紧密联系的场所。谢谢！

So, enjoy the walk and let’s look forward to the exhibition later. Thank you.