MARINA AT PUNGGOL FOR LEISURE BOATS (Development)

Mr Chiam See Tong asked the Minister for National Development whether he will grant permission to any company or anyone to develop a marina to house leisure boats at Punggol.

Mr Chiam See Tong: Mr Speaker, Sir, before I ask the question, I would like to declare my pecuniary interest in the question. Question No. 11, Sir.

Mr Lim Hng Kiang (for the Minister for National Development): Any company wanting to develop a marina to house leisure boats at Punggol can submit a planning application to URA to seek its approval. To meet the needs of the leisure boats sector, URA has also identified a marina site at Punggol. Subject to a feasibility study, a public tender for the site is expected to be called later this year. It will be opened to all interested parties.

Mr Chiam See Tong: Sir, can the Minister please give the time-frame in which these tenders will be called and whether or not, at this moment, there are any companies which have, in fact, already been given the right to open a marina at Punggol?

Mr Lim Hng Kiang: As the Member knows, there are several companies operating marinas in the Punggol area. Many of these are operating on TOLs which will be recovered at the end of this year or beginning of next year. To rehouse these marinas, URA will be putting up a public tender for the site, as I have explained, towards the latter part of this year.

Mr Chiam See Tong: Can the Minister please give the time-frame in which these people who are operating boatels at Punggol will be asked to move from their present sites because I understand there are about 600 pleasure boats involved?

Mr Lim Hng Kiang: As I have already said in my reply, the TOLs will be recovered at the end of this year or early next year.

Mr Chiam See Tong: Boatel operators are, in fact, worried as to where they are going to house these 600 leisure boats. So it is important for them to know what is the time-frame they have to move out.

Mr Lim Hng Kiang: I have already said that they have to move out between the end of this year and early next year. When the TOL is revoked, they have to move out.

Mr Chiam See Tong: These boats have to be parked somewhere. They cannot be parked on the parking lots on land. They have to be found a place. Can the Minister be more specific?

Mr Lim Hng Kiang: Mr Speaker, Sir, these boatel operators are operating on TOLs. So when the TOLs are revoked, they have to find alternative premises. At the same time, we are putting up a tender, and they can tender if they want to.

Mr Chiam See Tong: Sir, can the Minister please be more specific because there are genuine worries of both the boatel operators as well as the pleasure boat owners?

Mr Lim Hng Kiang: I think a time span of six months, ie, at the end of this year and early next year, is specific enough. TOLs should be revoked over this period of time. There are several TOLs and they will be revoked during this six-month period.

Dr Michael Lim Chun Leng (Cheng San GRC): In the first place, I wonder whether the Member is representing Potong Pasir or Punggol. But, nevertheless, I would like to ask the Minister whether, in the tender for the marina, is he thinking in terms of a marina that is a private members' club only, or is he thinking of a marina that is for general public use.

Mr Lim Hng Kiang: In working out the conditions for this tender, URA has in fact engaged in a dialogue with the present boatel owners and the detailed conditions for the tender site would be made known at the end of this year.

Dr Michael Lim Chun Leng: Would the Minister, in making a decision on the tender, consider the likelihood of making that area a public marina? The reason is that if you have it as a private members' club only, very few people will be able to afford the facilities whereas, at the present moment, there is a ready pool of members who will be able to continue their boating and sea sports activities if the new marina was made a public one.

Mr Lim Hng Kiang: URA will definitely take the Member's comments into consideration.

Mr Chiam See Tong: I would like to ask the Minister whether the Government is satisfied with the way the boatels are operating their facilities there. Or is there a need to replace them with a marina?

Mr Lim Hng Kiang: Mr Speaker, Sir, the area in Punggol was acquired by the Government for public housing. We have spent a substantial amount of public funds to reclaim the land in Punggol towards the west. We are embarking on the reclamation of Punggol to create more land for public housing on the eastern side of Punggol starting from 1995. Therefore, these TOLs will have to be revoked. There is a need for the leisure boats sector and we are providing this by making sites available for the public to tender for these sites.

Mr Chiam See Tong: I understand that the sites occupied by the boatels are, in fact, not affected by land reclamation. Is there any good reason why they should be moved?

Mr Lim Hng Kiang: I do not know what is the basis of his information, but it is affected and will be replaced. 1.25 pm