SENGKANG AND PUNGGOL (Parking lots for heavy vehicles)

Column No : 2111

SENGKANG AND PUNGGOL

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(Parking lots for heavy vehicles): **

27.

Miss Penny Low asked the Minister for National Development (a) if he will give a status update on the frequent requests for heavy vehicle parking lots in the Sengkang and Punggol areas; and (b) whether there is a plan to build these lots and, if so, what are the specific details of the location and timeline.

Mr Mah Bow Tan: As a general principle, HDB/URA do not allow heavy vehicles to be parked at housing estates as they pose traffic hazard and noise and smoke nuisance to residents. These vehicles have to be parked at designated heavy vehicle parks located at the fringe of the housing estates or near to industrial areas.

It is for this reason that HDB/URA had turned down past requests for a heavy vehicle park to be built in the Sengkang and Punggol areas. Nevertheless, to meet the short-term needs of residents in these towns, URA has identified a vacant site off Anchorvale Street at the periphery of Sengkang Town for the provision of a temporary heavy vehicle park. The temporary heavy vehicle park will have 250 lots and is scheduled for completion in July 2006. It will be removed when the site is needed for future development, which is likely to be in five years' time.