PUNGGOL RURAL CENTRE (Development of adjacent vacant land)

Mr Ng Kah Ting asked the Minister for National Development whether he is aware that the residents of Punggol Rural Centre are without shopping and marketing facilities, and, since the adjacent land is vacant, if he will consider building there several blocks of housing units to include shops and a market and, if so, when they will be completed.

The Minister of State for National Development (Mr Lee Yock Suan) (for the Minister for National Development): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Housing and Development Board will develop the vacant land adjacent to the existing Punggol Rural Centre to provide 222 dwelling units, 12 shops with quarters and two eating houses. The project is scheduled to commence in the last quarter of 1984 and is expected to be completed by mid-1986. The HDB will not build a market to serve the Centre as there will be only 550 dwelling units, comprising 328 existing flats and 222 proposed units. To be viable, a standard HDB market requires a catchment of between 4,000 and 6,000 dwelling units. However, some of the shop units in the proposed development will be set aside as meat, fish and market produce shops to serve residents of the Centre.