41 street vendors currently set up along Waterloo Street will each be allocated to fixed lots in a "street enhancement exercise", the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) announced today (Dec. 8).

The vendors comprise 19 fortune tellers, 19 flower vendors, 2 reflexologists and a cobbler.

They are currently set up along a pedestrianised section of Waterloo Street, where the popular Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho temple and the Sri Krishnan temple are located.

Starting from January 4, 2021, the vendors will be spread out along Waterloo Street and Albert Street, with the location of their lots to be determined by way of a ballot.

The exercise is being conducted by SLA, together with the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).

Public health and safety concerns, potential fire hazards

SLA explained that the street enhancement exercise was for "public health and safety along the pedestrianised street", "by allowing safe distancing between vendors, and facilitating unobstructed fire engine access".

The agency described the area as being "often busy and filled with stall setups and discarded boxes that obstruct the pathways". These are potential fire hazards, and are "not conducive to both the street vendors and visitors to the area".

In view of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the congregation of the street vendors in close proximity also raised concerns, as they began to resume their operations after the circuit breaker period, SLA said.

Its spokesperson added that none of them had been penalised for breaching safe distancing measures thus far, though the vendors had been reminded by "various agencies" to observe the regulations.

Vendors will not be displaced

"All existing vendors will be assured of a lot," SLA said, and none will be displaced as a result of the exercise, on account of the fact that they have "plied their trade in this area for many years".

SLA said that it has kept track of the vendors by conducting an initial census in 2016, followed by another two rounds in 2018 and 2020, adding that the number of vendors has fallen over the years.

SLA will conduct regular inspections to ensure that the lots will not be utilised by vendors who are not within this group of existing vendors. The vendors will also not be allowed to sub-let their lots to others.

Lots to be allocated

The allocated lots will measure 2 metres by 1.5 metres, and each will be covered by an umbrella, which will be provided by the Kampung Glam Citizens' Consultative Committee.

The vendors' wares have to be kept within the allocated lots, during their hours of operation, as well as after hours, said SLA.

Ground preparation works, which includes painting of the demarcated lots, will be conducted in three phases between Dec. 15, 2020 and Jan. 12, 2021, so that the vendors' operations would not be disrupted, SLA said.

Vendors to pay for licenses from June 2021

Currently, the flower vendors have street hawking licenses regulated by SFA, as their businesses fall under the Environmental Public Health Act, and pay a S$120 annual fee, while the other vendors do not have licenses.

On top of the annual fee, a fee of S$48.15 will now be charged for a Temporary Occupation License for each of the vendors on a monthly basis. SLA said that it will only start collecting the fee from June 1, 2021, to help the street vendors during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The license is not transferable, and is meant only for current street vendors.

The licenses will have an initial validity of three years, though SLA's spokesperson said that subsequent renewal would depend on any future redevelopment plans for the area.

For those who are "recalcitrant" in non-compliance with regulations, licenses may be revoked.

SLA's spokesperson said that the street vendors were not consulted with regard to the street enhancement plans, but added that vendors it engaged find the new license fee "reasonable", and had "no adverse reaction" to the news when SLA officers informed them of the exercise earlier today (Dec. 8).

The spokesperson also said that SLA worked with various stakeholders including grassroots leaders and residents, and that residents' feedback was that clutter in the area made it hard for them to walk through.

The spokesperson added that SLA had engaged the vendors during the Covid-19 period, through past census exercises, and would continue to assist them in the balloting exercise.

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Top image by Zheng Zhangxin