3 new hawker centres to be built in Hougang, Sengkang, Sembawang

By Ng Puay Leng, Alice Chia, Channel NewsAsia, 20 Oct 2012

Three new hawker centres will be built in Hougang, Sengkang and Sembawang to ensure the areas have an adequate number of cooked food stalls.

This comes after the government announced earlier in March the seven sites where new hawker centres would be built.

Minister of Environment and Water Resources Dr Vivian Balakrishnan said construction for the ten hawker centres will also be accelerated.

They will be completed in the next five years, instead of ten as announced earlier.

"It will be a challenge because we'll have to be managing several developments at the same time. Second point is that, we are also looking, wherever possible, to co-locate hawker centres with community facilities," he said.

"This allows for more optimal use of land, as well as provide synergy in terms of accessibility, and synergy for the range of services which are offered to the public."

Dr Balakrishnan was speaking to reporters at an exhibition to showcase the winning design and other entries of a competition to build the new Bukit Panjang Hawker Centre.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) held the competition four months ago, inviting local architects to submit their designs. NEA received 32 proposals.

The winning entry was submitted by a local design consultancy, SQFT Architects.

The hawker centre will maximise natural ventilation and harness sunlight for natural lighting.

It will also boast eco-friendly features such as rainwater collection to clean the centre, and a gardening plot for stall owners and residents to plant fruit and vegetables.

Meanwhile, some of Singapore's most famous hawkers took part in the Ultimate Hawker Fest at the Millenia Walk carpark on Saturday evening.

Celebrity chef Eric Teo served up his re-imagined laksa, paired with Boston lobster meat.

Hock Lam Beef, a fourth-generation hawker business, presented its Wagyu Beef Kway Teow.

Others featured included Jacky Tan, whose grandfather, Tan Yong Fa, invented the Kueh Tu Tu back in the 1930s.

The event aims to raise some S$150,000 to support over 20,000 beneficiaries of TOUCH Community Services.

The event was organised by TOUCH Community Services and Millenia Walk.

The money raised will help children from low-income or single-parent families, youths at risk, needy families, people with special and healthcare needs and the frail elderly.