Two new hawker centres to open this year in Buangkok and Woodleigh
Local snack kiosks to be piloted in the new hawker centres, while 25 hawker centres are set to undergo upgrading
SINGAPORE — Two new hawker centres - Buangkok Hawker Centre and Woodleigh Village Hawker Centre - will be opening this year, said Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Amy Khor in Parliament on Thursday (2 March).
The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) and National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a joint media release that Buangkok Hawker Centre will be located at 70 Compassvale Bow within Sengkang Grand Mall, and will have 38 stalls and 721 seats.
The hawker centre and the mall are part of the integrated development Sengkang Grand Residences, with other facilities like a community club, a childcare centre and a bus interchange. It will also be connected to Buangkok MRT station.
Woodleigh Village Hawker Centre, which is near Woodleigh MRT station at 202C Woodleigh Link, is set to open in the second half of the year with 39 stalls and 725 seats.
These hawker centres will have high ceilings for natural ventilation, as well as spacious seating areas for patrons to dine in comfort.
In addition, the refurbished Jurong West Hawker Centre will reopen in the third quarter of the year, and will accommodate 39 stalls and 580 seats in a slightly larger revamped layout. MSE and NEA said that 14 of the previous market stalls will not be returning.
Local snack kiosks in new hawker centres
In an effort to preserve local snacks as part of hawker culture in Singapore, the new hawker centres will be piloting snack kiosks that sell snacks such as muah chee and putu piring.
MSE and NEA said that this is in response to feedback that traditional snacks are increasingly less common among hawker centres. The smaller kiosks can also help reduce rental and operating costs, and counteract the difficulty these snack-food hawkers face in sustaining an entire food stall.
MSE will monitor the viability of these snack kiosks before deciding on further upscaling plans.
Upgrading of 25 hawker centres
The ministry also announced that 25 hawker centres, including Holland Village Market and Food Centre, are scheduled for repair and redecoration this year.
Meanwhile, Geylang Serai Market as well as Cheng San Market and Cooked Food Centre will undergo the Hawker Centres Transformation Programme next year.
This means they will undergo improvements such as seat reconfiguration, ventilation enhancements such as new fittings and fans, and extensive retiling.
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