City Sprouts Bedok repairs to finish by Chinese New Year, rent-free period extended to tenants: Edwin Tong

SINGAPORE: Rectification works at the City Sprouts Bedok community hub will be completed by Chinese New Year – which starts on Feb 17 this year – while a rent-free period will also be extended to tenants there, East Coast GRC anchor minister Edwin Tong said on Friday (Jan 9).

Mr Tong spoke to CNA after a meeting with some tenants at the compound built on the site of the former Kampong Chai Chee Community Centre on Bedok North Avenue 1.

Officers from the Singapore Land Authority (SLA), which is the landlord for the space, were also at the meeting, which CNA learnt about from tenants on Thursday evening.

“I came here today first to understand the issues, because I was concerned and felt that it’s really a tough environment, and I think we need to do what we can to allow businesses to thrive and to do well,” said Mr Tong, who is also minister for law.

City Sprouts Bedok came under the spotlight earlier this week, after businesses said the facility is plagued by safety hazards and incomplete infrastructure, three months after its official opening.

Mr Tong said Friday’s session was “a constructive meeting” and he understood what the issues were from the three tenants he spoke to.

“We agreed on steps to be taken to solve the problems, to move forward and to also find ways in which we can enliven the space, bring more footfall here, and maybe co-host and organise events here, so that the residents around it will be aware that this space is now open and that there’ll be a lot more prominence to the businesses that are here,” he said.

Mr Tong noted that City Sprouts Bedok lies within East Coast GRC and as anchor minister, he has an interest in ensuring that “the people who live and operate here are able to find solutions and work through issues constructively”.

“If there are ways in which I can help bring parties together, facilitate conversations, or support follow-up with the relevant agencies, I am prepared to do so,” said Mr Tong, who is also Second Minister for Home Affairs.

He said that his colleagues from SLA have also spoken to the master tenant City Sprouts on the issues. SLA is a statutory board under the Ministry of Law. City Sprouts was not at the meeting.

CNA has reached out to SLA for comment.

CHINESE NEW YEAR TARGET

Mr Tong said there was a consensus from the meeting, which lasted over an hour, to do “remedial and rectification works to solve the problems that have been identified”.

These include issues such as the signage and lighting in the hub, he added.

“We’ve set a time frame for that. I said, ‘Let’s try and complete that within the next couple of weeks before CNY (Chinese New Year), so that they can then open properly for CNY business,” he said.