HDB carparks can be repurposed after demand stabilises, lost income not a factor: Sun Xueling

Senior Minister of State for National Development Sun Xueling said it is premature to consider converting parking spaces in projects where parking demand has not stabilised.Follow our live coverage here.SINGAPORE – Converting carpark spaces for other uses in the early years of Housing Board projects could create parking shortages later, said Senior Minister of State for National Development Sun Xueling on April 7.Speaking in Parliament, she said it is premature to consider converting parking spaces in projects where parking demand has not stabilised, adding that opportunity costs from forgone income are not a factor in such considerations.Ms Sun was responding to Mr David Hoe (Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC), who had asked what factors may limit the conversion of underutilised HDB multi-storey carpark (MSCP) spaces for community uses, beyond demand, potential disamenities, fire safety, exit capacity and structural loading.Mr Hoe had also asked if these factors limit the conversion of the multi-storey carpark at Clementi Peaks, an HDB project in the Clementi ward that he oversees.Ms Sun said that Clementi Peaks was completed less than four years ago, in July 2022.“Parking needs have not yet fully stabilised, and it is too early to consider converting the parking spaces to other users at this juncture,” she said.Asked by Mr Hoe how the Ministry of National Development (MND) assesses whether parking needs have stabilised, Ms Sun said that demand can change over time, especially in new estates, where changes in household sizes could affect parking needs.“That is why it can take quite a number of years before parking demand in a new estate stabilises, and that is the case for Clementi Peaks,” she said.Ms Sun added that the HDB does not recommend conversion of parking spaces into alternative uses during the early years of developments as the permanent removal of parking spaces could cause shortages if demand grows in the future.On her comment that revenue considerations are not a factor in the conversion of carpark spaces, Ms Sun said she wanted to “clarify this point so that members of the public have the correct set of facts and do not form the wrong impression” based on what Associate Professor Jamus Lim (Sengkang GRC) said in March.Prof Lim told Parliament on March 5 that forgone income, which may generate potential revenue, has sometimes been cited by the MND to object to requests for converting carpark spaces to other uses.When queried by Ms Sun on April 7 on the basis for his statement, he said that this was conveyed to him by town council staff, adding that he would retract his statement if he was mistaken.In response, Ms Sun cited an e-mail from an HDB officer to Prof Lim in 2021 following a request that he had made to install playgrounds and cloud kitchens on multi-storey carparks in Sengkang.She said in that e-mail, which was copied to town council staff, the officer had stated that HDB looks into requests to convert carpark lots into alternative uses at suitable sites if the carparks can sufficiently meet parking needs after the lots are converted.The officer had also stated that MSCPs are not designed to support non-parking facilities in terms of structural loading, so the technical feasibility of conversion will have to be assessed.Other considerations raised by the officer included regulatory requirements, fire and safety standards, and suitability of location and potential disamenities to residents.Addressing Prof Lim, Ms Sun said the e-mail “quite amply explains what are the considerations that HDB has”.“In your proposal to repurpose those MSCPs for community use, if you are able to address the considerations that HDB has, I think we’ll be happy to facilitate those requests,” Ms Sun said.Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproductionDiscover how to enjoy other premium articles here