CLOSURE OF PUBLIC SPORTS FACILITIES

CLOSURE OF PUBLIC SPORTS FACILITIES: **

(Update): **

28.

Mr Seah Kian Peng asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (a) if he will outline the guiding principles on the closure of public sports facilities and specifically, how many of such facilities have remained closed for over five years; and (b) what are the future plans for these facilities.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: Our public sports facilities are built, operated and maintained with public funds. As a general principle, the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) will keep these facilities available when there is adequate demand. SSC will consider the option of closing facilities with very low utilisation despite efforts to promote usage, as they become too costly to maintain. For these closed facilities, SSC will explore leasing them out for alternative sports and recreation uses, or work with grassroots organisations to convert the facilities

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for community use. In instances where no good alternative use can be found, SSC would return the premises to the Singapore Land Authority (SLA).

A total of eight swimming complexes have been closed because of low utilisation. Of these, SSC has successfully sub-leased two swimming complexes 1 to private organisations for sports related use. Two complexes 2 have been returned to SLA upon expiration of lease, so that the sites can be considered for other developments. This leaves four public swimming complexes 3 that have remained closed for more than five years, despite SSC’s efforts to put them out for sports or other uses.

As a final round of effort, SSC is currently actively engaging private organisations as well as the Citizens’ Consultative Committees (CCCs) and their Advisors, to explore alternative uses for the four closed swimming complexes. If there are no takers, the premises will be returned to SLA.

1 Farrer Park and Boon Lay.

2 River Valley and Paya Lebar.

3 Yan Kit, Bukit Merah, Jurong Town and Pandan Gardens.

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