Carpark Provisions for Religious Institutions

Ms Rita Soh Siow Lan asked the Minister for Transport (a) why is the requirement for carpark provisions for religious institutions the same regardless of their location, whether within the city centre or beyond; (b) whether the carpark requirement can be reduced if the institution is located within close proximity to MRT stations or large commercial complexes/institutions with ample carparks; and (c) whether this carpark requirement can be further reduced if these buildings are regarded as national monuments or to be conserved.

The Senior Minister of State for Transport (Mrs Josephine Teo) (for the Minister for Transport): Mdm Speaker, parking spill-overs from places of worship that occur during worship hours or religious festivals can cause significant inconvenience to surrounding

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neighbourhoods. We, therefore, require places of worship to provide, within their premises, a certain number of parking places.

However, we do grant concessions in car parking standards for various categories of places of worship. Those located within the city centre can provide up to 20% less parking than the prescribed standards. Places of worship that are accorded monument status by the National Heritage Board or conservation status by the Urban Redevelopment Authority are exempt from providing any parking. We will study the Member's suggestion to reduce parking requirements for places of worship close to MRT stations.