Upgraded hawker centres start re-opening

Hawkers in Bukit Merah View and Jalan Batu have finished their government-mandated works.

The Hawker Centres Upgrading Programme (HUP) required the said stalls to renovate over a period of eight to nine months.

"Following the HUP, the seating capacity at the refreshment areas of both centres have increased. For example, the number of tables and seats at Blk 115 Bukit Merah View increased from 241 to 264 and 1323 to 1434 respectively. For Blk 4A Jalan Batu, the number of seats increased by 7%. Both centres can now accommodate more patrons, benefitting the public and stallholders alike," the National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a release.

"The layouts for both centres were also reconfigured, resulting in wider passageways. In addition, all cooked food stalls are equipped with mechanical exhaust systems to improve ventilation within both centres. The toilets are now more family-friendly, with handicapped-friendly features and diaper-changing counters. To conserve electricity, skylights were installed in these toilets to supplement the existing lighting with natural light during daytime," it said.

Two more hawker centres will be upgraded starting March 1 with the same amount of downtime estimated for improvements.

"1 March 2012 will also see two other hawker centres undergo upgrading under the HUP. The centres at Blk 353 Clementi Avenue 2 and Blks 2/3 Changi Village Road will undergo upgrading works for eight and 10 months respectively. Blk 353 Clementi Ave 2 is scheduled to resume its operations in November 2012, while Blks 2/3 Changi Village Road will re-open in January 2013," NEA said.

"Following the HUP, these two centres will similarly feature upgraded toilet facilities, improved ventilation and fire safety features. Besides improvements to the electrical, plumbing and sanitation systems, the seating capacity at the refreshment areas of both centres will be increased. Both centres will also be barrier-free, improving accessibility for both elderly and handicapped patrons," it said.