Written Answer by Ministry of National Development on plans for permitting urban farms on the top floor of HDB’s multi-storey carparks across Singapore

May 10, 2021

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what are HDB’s rollout plans for permitting urban farms on the top floor of HDB’s multi-storey carparks across Singapore; and (b) whether estates, in particular Sengkang, may voluntarily avail themselves to this plan. 

Answer:

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and the Housing and Development Board (HDB) have tendered out a total of 16 Multi-Storey Carpark (MSCP) sites for commercial urban farming across two tenders. The second tender closed recently on 23 Mar 2021. 

SFA and HDB consider multiple factors when identifying suitable MSCP sites for commercial urban farming. These include the utilisation rate of the MSCPs, the loading which the rooftops at each site can bear, the availability of water and electricity supply, as well as the current and future developments plans for the surrounding HDB blocks. This allows us to open up alternative urban spaces for food production without compromising residents’ needs for parking spaces, and to ensure that urban farms situated on MSCP rooftops are safe and have access to adequate supporting infrastructure.

Agencies will evaluate the first two tenders and gauge the level of industry interest, before deciding on future plans.