The Sengkang MP advocates for more convenience stores and coffee shops to enhance community living standards.
SINGAPORE — Workers’ Party MP Louis Chua brought attention to the need for improved amenities in “forgotten” neighbourhoods during a parliamentary session on Tuesday (Jan 10), emphasizing that “home is where the heart is.” He called for a revival of convenience and coffee shops, proposing that the Housing and Development Board (HDB) allocate a portion of void deck space to ensure at least one coffee shop for every two precincts.
“Residents frequently express their concerns about the scarcity of coffee shops and essential services in their neighbourhoods. For instance, in my Rivervale division, while Rivervale Plaza and Rivervale Mall offer various retail options, there is only one coffee shop and one convenience store for the entire division,” he stated.
This situation poses challenges, particularly for elderly residents or those with mobility difficulties, such as individuals with disabilities.
“Finding a meal or purchasing groceries can become a cumbersome task, often necessitating the use of public or private transport,” Chua pointed out. “If I had grown up in present-day Sengkang instead of Ang Mo Kio, I would have struggled to buy lunch for myself!”
Chua urged the HDB to focus on underserved neighbourhoods, like Sengkang. He suggested that unused areas of Multi-Storey Carparks (MSCPs) could be converted into commercial spaces, even if coffee shops are not permitted in those locations.
“To further stimulate microbusinesses, social enterprises, and entrepreneurship in the heartlands, the HDB could offer low-rent commercial spaces allocated by ballot,” he added.
“Coffee shops and convenience stores serve as community hubs, allowing residents to meet their daily needs and build connections with neighbours. They are integral to our heartland culture and should be more actively promoted,” the MP remarked.
Representing the Rivervale division of Sengkang GRC since 2020, Mr. Chua expressed his support for the HDB Amendment Bill, which aims to facilitate the upgrading of existing heartland shops.
“At the core of our public housing estates are heartland retailers and hawker centres, which play a vital role throughout different life stages,” Chua recalled fondly, reflecting on his upbringing in Ang Mo Kio, where “the unassuming neighbourhood centre had almost everything we needed.”
