SINGAPORE - The former Kampong Eunos Community Centre at 10 Kampong Eunos will be turned into a creative centre for youth which will open in August 2023.
This will be done in partnership with non-profit organisation Vivita Singapore, said Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Law Rahayu Mahzam on Monday during the debate on the Ministry of Law’s (MinLaw) budget.
Citing several examples of how state properties will be repurposed, Ms Rahayu said the former community centre will be turned into a “creative accelerator and innovation studio for the youth community”.
At the centre, Vivita will provide enrichment programmes and facilities that foster creative skills, she added.
MinLaw said the project “aims to inspire children and youth across diverse socio-economic backgrounds to explore their creative passions, turn their ideas to life and innovate for a better world”.
The project will include an upcycling centre as well as a community garden and also tap renewable energy, it added.
Nominated MP Cheng Hsing Yao had suggested that the Government create an overarching plan for interim use of state land, to ensure that the range and quality of interim uses are optimised, especially for plots that are not slated for development within the next 15 years and beyond.
In response, Ms Rahayu said the Government will explore this suggestion, as it continues to use state properties to meet community needs and economic demand.
She said the authorities will also improve the Dempsey area “to expand it into a sustainable lifestyle destination that provides unique sports and wellness offerings”.
New tenders will be launched for available units, with the intention of introducing more sports and wellness offerings, said MinLaw.
“When completed, these new offerings will enhance both Dempsey and also Singapore’s attractiveness as a unique and sustainable lifestyle destination,” it added.
Besides the use of state land, Ms Rahayu also addressed MPs’ concerns about the Digital Conveyancing Portal (DCP), which is slated to be fully implemented by 2026.
The online portal aims to cut red tape in the transfer of property titles from one person to another.
Mr Lim Biow Chuan (Mountbatten) and Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim (Chua Chu Kang GRC) had asked how the portal will affect the jobs of those involved in such processes, such as conveyance lawyers, as well as clerks and bankers.
Ms Rahayu said the Government expects that most individuals will continue to engage lawyers.
“Given the high-value nature of property transactions, this serves as a safeguard of the individual’s interests,” she said.
She added that digitalisation projects such as the DCP “will naturally, over time, result in less emphasis being placed on certain processes or skill sets”, and encouraged those involved in conveyancing practices to “adapt to, innovate and leverage the DCP to deliver better service to their clients”.
