HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT BOARD (Review of planning methodology)

Mr R Ravindran asked the Minister for National Development whether his Ministry will review existing Housing and Development Board (HDB) planning methodology and consider new measures to better co-ordinate the timely provision of various facilities and services in new HDB estates.

The Minister for National Development (Mr Mah Bow Tan): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Government's objective is to make every new HDB town as self-sufficient as possible. In addition to building new HDB flats, HDB also carries out comprehensive town planning for new HDB towns. It safeguards lands for a host of commercial, educational, social, recreational/sports, religious and institutional facilities based on planning norms and guidelines provided by the relevant authorities. The planning norms are reviewed regularly to take into account the changing profile of residents.

Commercial facilities are built in tandem with the completion of flats to cater to residents' needs. Each town is planned with a town centre, which is developed by the private sector. It will also have neighbourhood centres which will serve a neighbourhood of between 6,000 and 8,000 households. At the precinct level, HDB will also provide some shops to serve the daily needs of residents. It will, as far as possible, locate these shops within walking distance of the residents' flats.

All these facilities have to be built in stages in tandem with the increasing catchment of the new towns in order to maximise the use of the facilities. While it is feasible for HDB to build the facilities in advance, the shopkeepers are unlikely to commence operation before sufficient residents have moved in as their business would not be viable.