More shops springing up at HDB void decks

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More shops are now setting up at the void decks of HDB blocks, according to a Straits Times report.

Previously, the so-called void-deck shops only included provision shops, coffee shops and traditional bakeries. However, residents are now seeing more and newer types of businesses at these spots, ranging from a gourmet coffee place and a pub selling hamburgers and Western-style meals to a 24-hour laundromat.

The Straits Times highlighted the 25-storey Tanjong Pagar Plaza, where the first two floors are occupied only by traditional shops like bakeries and stationery shops. However, just last month, three new businesses opened in the area and have set up shop at the block's void deck — a coffee place called Black Gold and a pub named Blue Mist.

The report pointed to lower rental costs as the main reason small businesses have sprung up in such areas.

“For us, cost is an important factor as this is our first business and we do not have that much money to sink in,” said 65-year-old Tom Yam, who pays S$3,700 rent a month for his ice cream shop at West Coast Drive. The report noted that a unit of similar size would cost S$10,000 a month in a mall.

The HDB said that it generally does not put restrictions on the type of trade engaged in by shop units under its purview.

“However, guidelines such as those for fire safety apply when a unit is purpose-built for, say, businesses in food and beverages,” it said.

The HDB is also monitoring the trade mix in areas with only a few shops to make sure that they meet the needs of residents.

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