Air-conditioned HDB flats in Toa
Payoh converted to worker dorms for foreign employees of Sentosa
IR
December 19,
2009
Singapore’s
pro-foreigner government has lent a helping hand to Resort World
Sentosa (RWS) to secure two blocks of HDB flats in Toa Payoh for
its foreign employees working at the soon to open integrated
resort.
It was reported
earlier that RWS is hunting for flats in the Telok Blangah area for
its foreign workers which includes hotel service staff and casino
pit supervisors.
There is no official
statement on the number of foreigners that RWS could hire. Overall,
it will employ about 10,000 people when it opens next
year.
RWS spokesman Robin
Goh told Business Times earlier that “it remains committed in
recruiting Singaporeans and Singapore permanent
residents.”
However, Filipino
President Gloria Arroyo said in April this year that
around 5,000 new jobs would be made available to Filipinos in the
island resort of Sentosa in Singapore which means that about half
of them will go to foreigners. (Source:
GMA news)
According to the
Straits Times, the two flats designated to be converted into worker
dormitories are blocks 32 and 33 in Toa Payoh Lorong 6.
They contain more
than 300 units. Each flat houses four to six workers, who pay below
market monthly rents ranging from $140 to $260 each. (which means
there are between 1,200 to 1,800 foreign workers).
The flats appear to
be better furnished than some flats of locals. The bedrooms are
air-conditioned and they come with furniture like dining tables and
beds. Fridges and washing machines are also provided.
It is not known if
these foreign staff of RWS will be offered Singapore permanent
residency whose criteria is so lax that even cleaners and masseurs
can qualify.
Despite rising
resentment and anger on the ground at the large number of
foreigners in Singapore which now make up 36 per cent of the
population, the ruling party is adamant that they are “essential”
to Singapore’s continued growth.
With the opening of
the two IRs next year, Singapore can expect a flood of foreigners
including some unsavory characters like prostitutes.
December 21, 2009
Mr Mah Bow
Tan
Minister for National
Development
I refer to the
Straits Times article “Two Toa Payoh blocks converted to
dorms” on December 19, 2009. It stated that 2 HDB blocks were being
used as dormitories for employees of Resorts World Sentosa
(RWS).
I would like the
following queries answered:
1. Under which HDB
scheme were the 2 blocks of flats rented out to RWS?
2. HDB rents out
flats to the needy Singapore Citizens under the Public Rental
Scheme (PRS). HDB had tightened the criteria for eligibility for
the PRS citing “strong demand for rental flats” in a press release
in Feb 2009. Why are these two blocks of flats not rented out to
the needy Singapore Citizens? Does the welfare of foreigners have a
higher priority than providing housing for needy Singapore
Citizens?
3. The ST article
states that “each flat houses four to six people who each pay
between $140 and $260″. This amounts to a rental ranging from
$560-1560 per flat per month, which is generally below the median
subletting rents for 2-room and 3-room flats in Toa Payoh in 3Q
2009. Why are these flats rented out to RWS at such a cheap rate?
Was the intention to rent out the 2 blocks of flat made public to
attract the highest bidding tenants? If not, why?
4. The HDB website
states: “The Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP) is aimed to promote
racial integration and harmony and to prevent the formation of
racial enclaves, by ensuring a balanced ethnic mix among the
various ethnic communities living in public housing estates. EIP is
applicable to the purchase of new flats, resale flats, SERS (
Selective En-bloc Redevelopment Scheme) replacement flats and DBSS
(Design, Build & Sell Scheme) flats as well as the allocation
of rental flats in all HDB estates.”
What are the ethnic
ratios of the occupants in the 2 blocks of flats rented out the
RWS? In renting out 2 entire blocks of flats to a single tenant
(RWS) to house foreigners, HDB could have violated the Ethnic
Integration Policy. Why is EIP not applied in this case? What is
the rationale for waiving the EIP quota for foreigners when all
other Singaporean HDB flat dwellers are subject to EIP
limits?
Regards,
Aurora
Long
HDB reply to Ms
Aurora Long’s letter on conversion of two HDB flats in Toa Payoh
into worker dorms
December 28, 2009
Dear
Madam,
1.
I refer to your email of 20 Dec 09.
2. The
blocks that you have mentioned (Blocks 32 and 33 Toa Payoh Lor 5)
were announced for Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS) as
part of the Government’s Estate Renewal Strategy. After they are
vacated, SERS blocks are demolished according to the redevelopment
plans. Pending demolition, the flats are put to interim
short-term use.
3. As
these flats will be demolished eventually, they are less suitable
for HDB’s Public Rental Scheme as the tenants would then have to
move in a few years time. To meet the demand for rental flats under
the Public Rental Scheme, HDB will be building 7,500 units of new
1-room and 2-room rental flats in the next 3 years.
4. Besides
the 2 blocks mentioned, there is another vacated SERS block (block
28) which has been set aside for Interim Rental Housing (IRH). IRH
provides temporary housing for citizen families with financial
difficulties, in particular, those who are moving from their
current flat to another flat that is financially sustainable for
them. The IRH flats are offered to these households below the
market rent.
5.
The managing agent, EM Services Pte Ltd, rents out all other flats
at market rent, except for IRH. There are no special rental
concessions. The average monthly rent for each flat is about
$1,500, which is the market rate.
6.
These blocks are leased out on a short term basis, pending the
future redevelopment of the site. Hence the Ethnic Integration
Policy is not applicable to this site. This is no different
from flat lessees who sublet their individual flats.
7.
Thank you.
Yours
Sincerely,
Kee Lay
Cheng
Deputy Director
(Land Administration)
Properties & Land
Department