HDB carparks can be repurposed after demand stabilises, lost income not a factor: Sun Xueling

SINGAPORE – Converting carpark spaces to other uses in the early years of Housing Board projects could create parking shortages later, said Senior Minister of State for National Development Sun Xueling on April 7.

Speaking in Parliament, she said it is premature to consider converting parking spaces in projects where parking demand has not stabilised, adding that opportunity costs from forgone income are not a factor in such considerations.

Ms Sun was responding to Mr David Hoe (Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC), who had asked what factors may limit the conversion of underutilised HDB multi-storey carpark (MSCP) spaces to community uses, beyond demand, potential disamenities, fire safety, exit capacity and structural loading.

Mr Hoe had also asked if these factors limit the conversion of the multi-storey carpark at Clementi Peaks, an HDB project in the Clementi ward that he oversees.

Ms Sun said that Clementi Peaks was completed less than four years ago, in July 2022.

“Parking needs have not yet fully stabilised, and it is too early to consider converting the parking spaces to other uses at this juncture,” she said.

Asked by Mr Hoe how the Ministry of National Development (MND) assesses whether parking needs have stabilised, Ms Sun said that demand can change over time, especially in new estates, where changes in household sizes could affect parking needs.

“That is why it can take quite a number of years before parking demand in a new estate stabilises, and that is the case for Clementi Peaks,” she said.

Ms Sun added that HDB does not recommend the conversion of parking spaces to alternative uses during the early years of developments, as the permanent removal of parking spaces could cause shortages if demand grows in the future.

On her comment that revenue considerations are not a factor in the conversion of carpark spaces, Ms Sun said she wanted to “clarify this point so that members of the public have the correct set of facts and do not form the wrong impression” based on what Associate Professor Jamus Lim (Sengkang GRC) said in March.

Prof Lim told Parliament on March 5 that forgone income, which may generate potential revenue, has sometimes been cited by MND to object to requests for converting carpark spaces to other uses.

When queried by Ms Sun on April 7 on the basis for his statement, he said that this was conveyed to him by town council staff, adding that he would retract his statement if he was mistaken.

In response, Ms Sun cited an e-mail from an HDB officer to Prof Lim in 2021 following a request that he had made to install playgrounds and cloud kitchens at multi-storey carparks in Sengkang.

She said that in the e-mail, which was copied to town council staff, the officer had stated that HDB looks into requests to convert carpark spaces to alternative uses at suitable sites if the carparks can sufficiently meet parking needs after the spaces are converted.

The officer had also stated that multi-storey carparks are not designed to support non-parking facilities in terms of structural loading, so the technical feasibility of conversion would have to be assessed. Other considerations raised by the officer included regulatory requirements, fire and safety standards, suitability of location and potential disamenities to residents.

Addressing Prof Lim, Ms Sun said the e-mail “quite amply explains what are the considerations that HDB has”.

“In your proposal to repurpose those MSCPs for community use, if you are able to address the considerations that HDB has, I think we’ll be happy to facilitate those requests,” Ms Sun said.