Barrier-free Access for Existing Hawker Centres and Markets

Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) whether plans for barrier-free hawker centres and markets can be streamlined; and (b) whether barrier-free modifications such as ramps or wheelchair spaces at tables can be considered for existing hawker centres.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: The hawker centres provide all members of our community with affordable food in an informal setting. It is, therefore, important for hawker centres to be barrier-free and easily accessible to all. The National Environment Agency (NEA) will ensure that all new hawker centres will comply with the Building and Construction Authority’s (BCA) Code on Accessibility in the Built Environment 2013. Although existing hawker centres were built prior to the Code being established, NEA has incorporated barrier-free infrastructure into these centres over time, like ramps and wheelchair spaces at tables.

Today, all hawker centres meet or exceed BCA’s basic accessibility standards, except for three centres. Two of these centres will undergo redevelopment and upgrading over the next few years and will meet the accessibility standards when completed. The third – Dunman Food Centre – currently does not meet the standards due to site constraints, but NEA will continue to explore ways to improve the accessibility of this centre.