Medical cluster among proposals to transform Yishun
estate
SINGAPORE: Yishun estate is set for a major makeover, with
proposals to turn its town centre into the hub of the north over
the next few years.
Land has been set aside in Yishun for medical specialty centres or
a university.
Yishun residents are also among the first to pilot HDB's new
upgrading schemes that are aimed at middle-aged estates which are
over 20 years old.
Tampines is another area that is designated for these
schemes.
The pilot called the Home Improvement Programme (HIP) and
Neighbourhood Renewal Programme (NRP) will allow homeowners to
choose from a menu of optional improvements that cater to their
needs.
Seventy three percent of some 47,000 households in Yishun are
currently eligible for HIP, which covers only improvements within
the flats.
New toilets and door grilles are among the choices offered to
homeowners.
An estimated 300,000 flats across the island, built in or before
1986, come under the HIP programme.
Residents could also decide on common facilities such as barbeque
pits and street soccer courts under the NRP.
Around 200,000 flats in Singapore, built in or before 1989, are
eligible for the scheme.
In Yishun, some 46 percent of households are eligible for
NRP.
Three-quarters of the total number of households in the area have
to give the go-ahead before HIP or NRP will be carried out.
HDB said upgrading would be rolled out in Yishun over a 20-year
period.
One of the residents said: "My unit is getting very old already, so
this programme comes at the right time."
"While the cost may be alright for some, for others I hope the
government could subsidise them more on a case-by-case basis,"
another resident said.
Residents pay between 5 and 12.5 percent of the total bill on home
improvements, depending on the size of their flats.
The government pays for the rest and will also foot the bill for
new facilities in the neighbourhood.
One of the plans for Yishun is a new shopping complex that
will include integrated private apartments.
Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan, who is also the MP for Sembawang
GRC, said land that has been set aside could be used for a medical
cluster around the new Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, complete with
specialty centres and hotels.
He said: "Eventually when the north's population grows, the
healthcare needs will certainly expand. The possibility of a
cluster is highly feasible. Let's reserve the land to form a land
bank, so that when market needs are expressed, we have the land to
support it."
Mr Khaw also did not rule out the possibility of using the land for
a future university.
- CNA/so
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