Encouraging Property Owners to Construct Pedestrian Linkages between Buildings

Mdm Speaker, over 40 buildings within the Central Business District, Marina Bay and the Orchard Road to the City Hall shopping belt are connected by underground pedestrian links. Another 28 buildings are connected by elevated links. Notable pedestrian links include those at the buildings around Orchard MRT and commercial areas at Tanjong Pagar, City Hall and Raffles Place. In Marina Bay, all buildings are required to have basement level links to the adjacent buildings.

An extensive network of all-weather pedestrian links is necessary for our city to be well-connected and pedestrian-friendly. Pedestrian links also support the use of public transport. We are realising more pedestrian links in the following ways.

First, where relevant, URA will stipulate requirements for pedestrian links for new sites launched under the Government Land Sales programme or private buildings undergoing redevelopment.

Second, LTA will develop pedestrian links as new MRT stations are built and these links will be joined up with adjacent buildings where possible.

Third, URA administers a cash grant incentive scheme to encourage owners to develop underground pedestrian links between existing buildings. So, this is a retrofitting programme. The take-up for the URA cash grant incentive scheme has been slow partly because it has just been revised in August 2012. Apart from the cost of constructing the links, which the scheme seeks to address, owners may prefer to retrofit their buildings to incorporate the links only when the buildings are being redeveloped. Some owners may also be concerned about disruption to businesses during the construction period, loss of lettable commercial space to accommodate these links, and potential diversions of customers to adjacent buildings.

There is currently no legislation for the Government to require owners to link up existing buildings.

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Madam, I thank the Senior Minister of State for his response. I have four quick supplementary questions. Firstly, is the Ministry satisfied with the current rate of adoption based on the Master Plan? Secondly, I quote an interesting example that made it to the press – The Straits Times, January 2010, called "A Bridge Too Short". Iluma at Bugis had a bridge that did not link. There was about a 2-metre gap. But, surprisingly, when Bugis Junction bought over Iluma, magically the bridge joined up. Is there something that the Ministry can do, since it is encouraging new projects to take on these so that they are not a loss?

Thirdly, will the GFA exemptions that are currently provided for elevated pedestrian walkways for places like Jurong Gateway and the cash grants be made more attractive so that more business owners may want to come onboard on the scheme? Lastly, in response to part (c) of my parliamentary question, will the Ministry therefore consider introducing legislation to make this a compulsory part of development?

I thank the Member for his various suggestions. The co-funding programme has just been revised about a year ago and it is our intention to work closely with the various property owners to introduce the rebuilding of the pedestrian links, it will take a while for the links to be established over time.

The Member mentioned the example of Iluma and also Jurong Gateway. Sometimes, the GFA exemptions are being used because we need to provide space for some of the common mechanical and electrical ventilation systems. So, where it is appropriate, URA will consider giving these. But for other redevelopment and new developments, when the property owners are submitting their plans for approval, URA would require them to build those links, including covering any 2- or 3-metre gaps that may be there. We are, at this stage, not considering legislation as yet because we think a better way is still to work closely with the building owners to hasten the building of the links.