Monday, April 14, 2008

Bukit Panjang Residents One Of The First To Benefit From NRP

Source : Channel NewsAsia, 12 April 2008

More than 6,000 residents in Bukit Panjang will be among the first in Singapore to benefit from the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme (NRP).

Announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the National Day Rally last year, it is a new programme that focuses on neighbourhood improvements.

Flats that have been built before or in 1989 are eligible for NRP if they have not undergone any kind of main or interim upgrading.

Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said on Saturday that although it may be a free programme for the residents, it will require at least 75 percent support before it can be rolled out.

This is because the programme covers a larger area – at least two precincts – compared to other upgrading programmes. The minister added that he hopes economies of scale will allow the government to do more.

With NRP, residents have a direct say in the kinds of facilities they wish to have in their neighbourhood.

A consultation exercise that is expected to take four to six months has kicked off.

Dr Balakrishnan said: "They will tell us what they want and they will spell out the ideas. We'll then form a working committee, work with those ideas, come up with a proposal and go back to the residents for them to choose." - CNA/so

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