We thank Miss Grace Tan Meiyi for her letter ("Make hawker centres more child-friendly"; Forum Online, Aug 4).

Our existing hawker centres, which were mostly built in the 1970s and early 1980s, have seen several improvements made to them.

During the Hawker Centres Upgrading Programme carried out from 2001 to 2014, the National Environment Agency (NEA) improved the amenities of the hawker centres, such as through having widened passageways for better circulation, improved barrier-free accessibility, increased seating capacity and family-friendly toilets, where possible.

Since last year, new hawker centres built by the Government have incorporated family-friendly design elements, such as lowered seating for children. There are also nursing and diaper changing rooms and various other family-friendly amenities.

These design elements can already be seen in the new hawker centres at Hougang Ci Yuan and Bukit Panjang, and will also be available in the upcoming new centres in Tampines, Pasir Ris and Jurong West.

The NEA will continue to work closely with various stakeholders to improve our hawker centres.

Ivy Ong (Ms)

Director

Hawker Centres Division

National Environment Agency