Hawker Centres At Bedok North and Changi Village Reopen For Business On 1 Jan 2013
Patrons will now enjoy bigger seating capacities, more family-friendly facilities
Singapore, 31 December 2012 – The newly refurbished markets and food centres at Block 85 Bedok North Street 4, and Blocks 2 and 3 Changi Village Road will both re-open for business on 1 January 2013, after undergoing the Hawker Centres Upgrading Programme (HUP) by the National Environment Agency (NEA). Business will resume progressively as stalls complete their renovation works.
These two centres at Bedok North Street 4 and Changi Village Road underwent ten and a half months and ten months of upgrading respectively. The designs of the upgraded centres were decided after close consultations with the respective HUP Working Committees. For Block 85 Bedok North Street 4, the HUP Working Committee comprises representatives from Fengshan Hawkers’ and Merchants’ Association, Fengshan grassroots, and the East Coast Town Council. The HUP Working Committee of Block 2 and 3 Changi Village Road consists of representatives from the Siglap Citizens’ Consultative Committee, Changi Point – Ubin Area Sub-Committee, Changi Village Food and Wet Market Stallholders’ Association, the East Coast Town Council and the Siglap Constituency Office.
Patrons can now look forward to a more spacious, pleasant and hygienic dining environment at the upgraded centres. Following the HUP, the seating capacity at the refreshment areas of both centres has increased. The seating capacity at the Bedok North Street 4 centre has increased by approximately 32%, whereas the seating capacity at Changi Village Road has increased by 6.6% (for Block 2) and 106.6% (for Block 3). Both centres can now accommodate more patrons during peak periods, benefitting the public and stallholders alike.
All cooked food stalls of both centres are now equipped with new mechanical exhaust systems to improve ventilation within the centres. All the stalls have been re-configured and passageways widened for better patron circulation and connectivity between stalls. In addition, space has also been set aside within the upgraded centres to support implementation of tray-return in the future.
Both centres have improved on fire safety features and toilet facilities. The toilets are more family-friendly, with handicapped-friendly designs and diaper-changing counters. To conserve electricity, skylights have been installed in the toilets to supplement the existing lighting with natural light during daytime.
The new roofing of Block 85 Bedok North Street 4 has vibrant colours of turquoise and ocean blue, making it distinctive from the surroundings. Vibrancy within the centre can also be experienced with the combination of colours selected for the tables and chairs. As for Blocks 2 and 3 Changi Village Road, its design has a rustic and tropical theme, and earthy tones and warm colours are used to enhance the rustic ambience of the centre.
The upgrading of the centres was warmly welcomed. Mr Ng Siew Hong, hawker representative of the Changi Village Road centre, said, “The ventilation of the centre has improved as compared to before the upgrading. The space between the tables and chairs has been increased for better patron movement. I like the colour of the new tiles and the centre looks beautiful with these new tiles.” Mr Toh Lim Mok, the HUP Working Committee Chairman of Block 85 Bedok North Street 4 said, “Impressive. Our residents will be able to enjoy this new environment for their dining and marketing purposes.”
The NEA currently manages 107 hawker centres. To date, 103 hawker centres have been upgraded under HUP. More information on NEA’s Hawker Centres Upgrading Programme is available at http://app2.nea.gov.sg/hawker_upgrade.aspx.
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Originally Posted by zeamybro
