INTERIM UPGRADING PROGRAMME IN HOUSING ESTATES

INTERIM UPGRADING PROGRAMME IN HOUSING ESTATES

4.

Mr Low Thia Khiang:

Mr Low Thia Khiang:

Mr Low Thia Khiang:

Mr Low Thia Khiang:

Mr Low Thia Khiang asked the Minister for National Development (a) how much did the Government disburse to the Aljunied Town Council for its 16 precincts which underwent the Interim Upgrading Programme (IUP) and eight precincts which underwent the IUP Plus programme; and (b) what is the number of units in these precincts.

Mr Low Thia Khiang asked the Minister for National Development (a) how much did the Government disburse to the Ang Mo Kio-Yio Chu Kang Town Council for its 29 precincts which underwent the Interim Upgrading Programme (IUP) and six precincts which underwent the IUP Plus programme; and (b) what is the number of units in these precincts.

Mr Low Thia Khiang asked the Minister for National Development (a) how much did the Government disburse to the East Coast Town Council for its 24 precincts which underwent the Interim Upgrading Programme (IUP) and four precincts which underwent the IUP Plus programme; and (b) what is the number of units in these precincts.

Mr Low Thia Khiang asked the Minister for National Development (a) how much did the Government disburse to the Jurong Town Council for its 25 precincts which underwent Interim Upgrading Programme (IUP) and seven precincts which underwent IUP Plus programme; and (b) what is the number of units in these precincts.

Mr Low Thia Khiang asked the Minister for National Development (a) how much did the Government disburse to the Marine Parade Town Council for its 11 precincts which underwent the Interim Upgrading Programme (IUP) and eight precincts which underwent IUP Plus programme; and (b) what is the number of units in these precincts.

Mr Mah Bow Tan: We introduced the Interim Upgrading Programme (IUP) Plus in 2002 to replace the IUP. It is a combination of two programmes: Interim Upgrading Programme (IUP) and Lift Upgrading Programme (LUP).

The budget for the IUP component of the IUP Plus is $2,400 per flat. The budget for the LUP component is the same as standalone LUP projects. It varies depending on the block configuration and is subject to the $30,000 per Benefiting Unit (BU) cost cap.

The actual cost of lift upgrading varies amongst the various Town Councils, depending on their block configurations. Different blocks require different lift upgrading solutions. For example, segmented blocks without common corridors may require the adding of new lift shafts to achieve direct lift access. This can cost about $30,000 per BU for a segmented block of 12 storeys with four lifts. On the other hand, a standard block with common corridors may only need new openings at lift landings for the lift car to stop at the floors that were not previously served. This would be cheaper since HDB only needs to upgrade the existing lifts. Other standard blocks which require new lift shafts would cost about $14,000 per BU for a standard block of 12 storeys with two lifts, including one new lift shaft. The lift upgrading budget for low-rise blocks is higher than high-rise blocks as there are fewer benefiting units to share the cost.

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The budget for lift upgrading in Hougang Town Council will be no different from that of another block with similar configuration in any other Town Council. This is regardless of whether the lift upgrading is conducted under IUP Plus or LUP. The LUP cost for the Hougang blocks announced in October 2009 has been estimated to range from $20,000 per BU to $28,000 per BU.

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