August 31, 2021, 05:13 PM
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[Update on Sep. 3: This article has been updated with a statement from NEA below.]
Amoy Street Food Centre in the Telok Ayer area will be closed for three months from Oct. 11, 2021.
The food centre is being closed for "repairs and redecoration", according to the National Environment Agency (NEA)'s website.
The dates of the food centre's closure are Oct. 11, 2021 to Jan. 10, 2022.
It was last renovated six years ago, in 2014.
As a hawker centre in the CBD area, business at Amoy Street Food Centre suffered amid Work From Home (WFH) being the default arrangement for much of the pandemic, as well as restrictions on dining in during more severe phases of the Covid-19 outbreak.
Amoy Street Food Centre on May 18, during Phase 2 (Heightened Alert). Image by Karen Lui.
This state of affairs led to appeals by members of the public, calling for people in Singapore to patronise the stalls and support the livelihoods of hawkers there.
It also prompted some to order food in bulk to achieve two objectives in one: boost the hawkers' sales, while donating food to those in need.
Stall rents will not be raised due to works
In a statement issued on Sep. 1, NEA confirmed to Mothership that stall rents at the food centre will not be raised due to the works, as the cost of the renovation will be borne by NEA.
NEA also stated that the upcoming closure of Amoy Street Food Centre was determined in consultation with the Hawkers’ Association.
The upcoming R&R will include painting, mechanical and electrical works such as replacement of light fittings and fans, replacement of sanitary pipes and kitchen exhaust motors, as well as toilet improvement works, said NEA.
There will be no change to the number of stalls.
As the stallholders are unable to continue operating their stalls during R&R due to the closure of the hawker centre, rental remission will be given for the duration of the works.
NEA also said that it will offer temporary stalls to stallholders who request to continue their operations at other hawker centres during the period of the renovation work, subject to stall availability and approval.
Top image via Chinatown Business Association (CBA)'s website and NEA website
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