(HDB's Home Improvement Programme repairs spalling concrete and structural cracks, among other renovation and restoration works. Image courtesy of Thinkstock.)
Some 160,000 such public housing flats have been earmarked for a makeover under HDB’s Home Improvement Programme (HIP). This is aside from the 50,000 units that are already under the scheme for the last five years. In total, 300,000 flats—one-third of all HDBs in Singapore—built prior to 1987 are eligible for the programme, said the Board.
Some 5,800 of the 50,000 HDB flats have already undergone HIP works, said Minister of State for National Development Lee Yi Shyan in Parliament recently. A spokesperson from the Ministry of National Development (MND) told The Straits Times the remaining 44,200 should be completed by 2014.
With the quickened rate, the remaining 250,000 units can also be renovated over the next decade, said Lee.
His announcement came in response to Ang Wei Neng’s (Jurong GRC) request for an update on the HIP, specifically on repair works to spalling concrete. Lee replied that about 8,300 cases (1% of all HDB flats) of spalling concrete are reported per year.
Older flats built between 1983 and 1986 face more serious problems, said Lee. The Straits Times quoted the MND spokesperson saying that there are 190,000 such older flats.
While homeowners are responsible for ceiling repairs, Lee said that HDB’s Goodwill Repairs Assistance Programme helps to foot half the repair bill should the spalling concrete be a result of water leaks.
Besides providing homeowners with new toilets, doors and refuse-chute hoppers at heavily subsidised prices, the HIP also repairs spalling concrete and structural cracks, replaces waste pipes, and fixes new electrical wiring for free. Each project under the HIP takes two to three years to finish.
In Parliament, Lee also noted that the selection of HDB precincts for HIP depends on factors such as budget, as well as the capacity of the construction industry.
In a separate query in Parliament by Jurong GRC’s Desmond Lee, Senior Parliamentary secretary for National Development Mohamad Maliki Osman said that HDB is “studying” how to install ramps for about 75,000 HDB flats.
Desmond Lee wanted to know if the Board would replace steps at the entrances of these homes with ramps, for the convenience of elderly and disabled residents.
Dr Maliki replied that permanent ramps were mostly not feasible “due to the lack of space along the corridors and the need to comply with fire safety requirements”. He added that HDB is prepared to help find suitable detachable ramps, but residents have to seek approval from the town council for these temporary slopes.
As for a more permanent solution, Dr Maliki added that residents have to get approvals from the town council and HDB.
An MND spokesperson explained to The Straits Times that the ‘steps-to-entrance’ flats were constructed in the mid-1970s to mid-1980s to provide more privacy, because of their prominent locations. As such units are located along common corridors, the height created by the steps limits the view of residents’ homes to passers-by.
