YISHUN NEW TOWN (Building of 4- and 5-room flats)

Dr Koh Lip Lin asked the Minister for National Development (a) why there are so few 4-room and 5-room flats among the flats which have been built in Yishun New Town; (b) how many units of 4-room and 5-room flats will be built there in 1983 and 1984; and (c) when will the first market/ food centre in the New Town be ready.

Mr Lee Yock Suan (for the Minister for National Development): Mr Speaker, Sir, the HDB has completed 440 4-room and 52 5-room flats in Yishun New Town. Construction of these flats commenced at the end of 1980 when applications for 4-and 5-room units totalled 235 and 40 respectively. At that time, the number of flats built was sufficient to meet the rather low demand for 4- and 5-room units in Yishun. The HDB could not afford to award more contracts in anticipation of future demand as its resources were channelled to meet the greater demand in other zones.

The HDB will build 763 4-room flats in Yishun in 1983. It will build 5,290 4-room flats and 568 5-room flats in 1984.

The first market and food centre in Yishun will be completed by August 1984.

Dr Koh Lip Lin (Nee Soon): Sir, is the new market going to be a conventional one, or is it going to be the new air-conditioned type of market?

Mr Lee Yock Suan: Mr Speaker, Sir, the HDB has stopped building any more wet markets for a variety of reasons. The new market will be the new type with market produce stalls and so forth.