Lau Pa Sat food court in the central business district will finally be re-opening in June 2014 after a S$4-million facelift that took nine months to complete.

This is the first major renovation works since the Kopitiam group took over 17 years ago.

Lau Pa Sat was initially scheduled to close for a three-month period from September to November last year, but it encountered a series of delays.

MyPaper reported in December last year that "it will take about two more months before patrons get to see its $4-million facelift".

Kopitiam said the delays are due to compliance issues as Lau Pa Sat has been gazetted as a monument building.

Various agencies are required to inspect the site to ensure its architecture after renovation keeps its cultural heritage.

Affected stall owners are unhappy about the delays as staff still had to be paid during those months of closure. Tenants have since asked to be compensated by waiving the first two months of rent when Lau Pa Sat reopens.

Kopitiam said it had previously offered a temporary stall at another location and at a lower rent, but none of the stall owners took it up.

As the newer premises will be better ventilated, the total number of stalls has been reduced to create more seats for patrons and for some stall holders to enjoy larger stall areas.

After the renovations, the number of stalls at Lau Pa Sat will be cut from over 80 to 68.

Top photo from here

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