LAKEVIEW MARKET

Mr Leong Horn Kee asked the Minister for National Development that in view of the intention of his Ministry to demolish the Lakeview Market at Upper Thomson Road, whether he would consider the following measures to alleviate the difficulties being faced by the affected hawkers, stallholders and shopkeepers: (i) to consider higher compensation sums for them; (ii) to consider larger compensation sums for hawkers, stallholders and shopkeepers who hold more than one unit space for their tenancies; (iii) for those affected hawkers, stallholders and shopkeepers who sign to accept the compensation sums as first generation holders of the tenancies, to allow their estates/dependants to receive the compensations, even if they were to pass away before such compensations are being paid after their demise; and (iv) to extend the eligibility period for a second year, in the event that the shopkeepers are still unable to find suitable alternative shops based on the preferential discount scheme of 10% within the initial one year period.

Mr Lim Hng Kiang: The ex-gratia payment for HDB shop tenants affected by relocation/redevelopment is $48,000. In the case of market produce and cooked food stall tenants, the ex-gratia payments are $15,000 and $19,000 respectively. HDB will not increase the ex-gratia payments for tenants of Lakeview Shopping Centre as the levels of ex-gratia payments were recently revised in June 1996. The revised ex-gratia payments were made retroactive for shop and stall tenants affected by the Government relocation and redevelopment programmes on or after 1st March 1996.

The ex-gratia payment is a goodwill gesture. For shop tenants, the ex-gratia payment is granted on a per tenancy basis. Hence, it does not depend on the trade, size of the premises or the equivalent number of unit space occupied. In the case of stalls, the current practice is to grant ex-gratia payment to first generation stallholders on a per stall basis. First generation stallholders are those who were resited from the streets or were given the stalls under the hardship scheme years ago. A stallholder with two stalls will be given ex-gratia payment for both the stalls provided he is eligible for ex-gratia payment for both stalls.

For affected hawkers, stallholders and shopkeepers who have been served clearance notice and have accepted the offer of the ex-gratia payment while they were alive, but passed away before the payment is made, his estate/dependants will receive the ex-gratia payment.

The 10% preferential margin is granted for a period of one year from the date of relocation notice. Since the tenants in Lakeview Shopping Centre are required to vacate the shops by 31st December 1999, HDB will grant an extension of the validity period for the 10% preferential margin in the second year on a case by case basis.