The Housing Board’s Neighbourhood Renewal Programme (NRP) enhances the living environment of two or more adjacent precincts, but before improvement works can begin, it needs the support of at least 75 percent of the areas’ residents, said the Ministry of National Development (MND) in a parliamentary session on Tuesday (3 October).
This level of support provides certainty that the proposed improvements meet the needs of most residents. It also promotes a sense of ownership for the proposed upgrade works and fosters the residents’ sense of belonging to their community.
This is MND’s reply to Hougang MP Png Eng Huat’s query on the rationale for requiring three-quarters of the residents to consent to the improvement works even though the NRP is fully funded by the government.
He also asked whether the ministry will consider setting a timeline for calling tenders for NRP works in a precinct after it has been announced.
The ministry noted that the timeline for calling such tenders is within 12 months from the announcement, and this has been communicated to all town councils. As much as possible, these authorities should expedite the NRP process where possible.
“In practice, however, the time taken varies from one project to another, and may not fall within the recommended timeline. Factors that could affect the calling of tender include the size and complexity of the project, consultation processes adopted by town councils, and extent of feedback and suggestions received from residents,” it added.
Introduced in August 2007, NRP focuses on block and precinct improvements, and residents are allowed to propose upgrades.
To qualify for this programme, housing blocks must be built until 1995 and have not undergone the Main Upgrading Programme (MUP), Interim Upgrading Programme (IUP) and IUP Plus.
This article was edited by Keshia Faculin.
