Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Planning for Hawker Centres

Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Planning for Hawker Centres by Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether there are plans to review the way hawker centres are catered for island-wide; and (b) whether it will be more efficient to have a single agency acquire and manage all hawker centres and HDB coffeeshops so that Singapore can take a masterplan approach towards making provision for access to good and affordable meals for all Singaporeans.

Answer:

1 The National Environment Agency (NEA) works closely with other agencies on the planning of new hawker centres, by considering various factors, including residential catchments, availability of comparable food and beverage options and complementary facilities in the vicinity, as well as land availability and compatibility with adjacent land use.

2 The Government will continue to plan for hawker centres and coffee shops holistically, and is committed to ensure that these places continue to provide affordable cooked food options for Singaporeans.