Nine precincts join business improvement district programme

They include historic, civic, and mixed-used districts.

Nine new precincts will be part of the Business Improvement District (BID) programme by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, minister for national development Lawrence Wong revealed.

These nine precincts are China Place, City Hall, Jurong Gateway, Kampong Glam, Marina Bay, Marina Centre, Paya Lebar, Raffles Place, and Tanjong Pagar.

“They represent a good mix of precincts of different characteristics, from historic and civic districts to mixed-use precincts within and outside the city centre,” URA noted.

Under the pilot BID programme, stakeholders will take on a more active role in transforming their precincts and activating the surrounding public spaces.

For its part, the government will aid stakeholders’ efforts to enliven the precincts and improve visitor experience.

In September 2017, URA invited stakeholders to submit proposals on forming pilot BIDs which will bring vibrancy to the precinct over four years.

Those who were interested were required to submit a preliminary business plan, outlining proposed initiatives as well as proposed membership fees to be collected from stakeholders to fund the proposals.

“A total of nine submissions were received, and all have been selected to participate in the pilot BID programme,” URA noted.

Selected precincts need to get at least 51% support from stakeholders within the defined boundary in their respective precincts to go on to form pilot BIDs.

“The government will then provide dollar-for-dollar matching for the membership fees collected by each pilot BID up to a cap of $500,000 per year, for the first four years of the pilot BID programme,” URA explained.

The funding is set to aid the pilot BIDs to roll out the initial phase of their place management efforts and set the foundation for them to expand their plans over time.

Singapore River One (SRO) was the first pilot BID to form in 2017. Over the past year, the area recorded greater participation from stakeholders in place management and higher footfall to the area.

“We are now able to plan activities for the longer term, explore infrastructure improvements and implement robust marketing campaigns to draw visitors to the precinct,” SRO executive director Michelle Koh said. “We also have a stronger foundation to approach corporations to collaborate with us on activities and programming in the precinct.”

According to URA, SRO’s two key festivals which are St Patrick’s Day Street Festival and Singapore River Festival attracted more visitors through more coordinated marketing and promotion.