Media Division, Ministry of Information and The Arts, 36th Storey, PSA Building, 460 Alexandra Road, Singapore 119963. Tel: 3757794/5
__________________________________________________
SPEECH BY DR TONY TAN KENG YAM, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER, MINISTER FOR DEFENCE AND ADVISER TO SEMBAWANG GRC GROs AT THE LAUNCH OF THE UPGRADING EXHIBITION FOR MARSILING PRECINCT HELD ON 24 APRIL 1997 AT 8.00 PM AT BLOCK 8 MARSILING DRIVE
I am pleased to be here this evening to share with you this milestone event to transform our precinct into a modern and beautiful living environment.
The Government's Main Upgrading Programme is now offered to all of you, the residents of Marsiling Precinct. You are the beneficiaries because our precinct meets the criteria and because of the strong support you have displayed for the Government and its programmes to enhance the quality of life for all Singaporeans.
The blocks in this precinct were completed in 1975. Those of you who have been living here for the last two decades must have noticed the rapid transformation of Woodlands. Modern Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats with better design and facilities can be seen all over Woodlands. There is now an ultra-modern bus interchange and three MRT stations - Marsiling, Woodlands and Admiralty.
Since the opening of these facilities, residents of Woodlands have been able to travel conveniently to all parts of the island.Woodlands has thus shed off its image of being labelled "ulu". It is now very much integrated with the rest of Singapore.
I am happy to say that the developments will not end but will continue. Woodlands as the regional centre of the North will soon boast of office buildings, shopping complexes and other facilities similar to that found in the central area. Woodlands will be a modern town ready for the new millennium.
As your flats are now 22 years old, you may have envied those living in the newer flats being built in Woodlands and other new towns. But many of you want to continue living in this precinct because of the close ties you have built over the last two decades. The Upgrading Programme thus provides you the unique opportunity to continue living here in an improved environment. As you must have been seen from other upgrading projects all over Singapore, this programme will transform your precinct to a standard comparable to the latest HDB developments. You will not be required to move out of this precinct.
The architects and the Working Committee have, after many discussions and meetings, come up with an upgrading package which is based on your feedback. The upgrading package being offered to you is thus based on your collective aspirations. The standard package is a complete package which is designed to enhance both the aesthetic and functional aspects of this precinct.
At the precinct level, you can look forward to a main entrance gateway with greenery on both sides of the driveway. Many of the existing mature trees here in this precinct will be preserved. Additional pockets of greenery and specially designed landscaped areas will further enhance the clean and green environment. There will also be children's playgrounds, a multi-purpose link building, bird singing garden, hard court, barbecue pits and fitness stations to promote a healthy lifestyle in Marsiling Precinct. The covered linkways to be provided will connect the apartment blocks to the various facilities in the precinct and will also provide residents with shade and shelter.
At the block level, the facade of your apartment blocks will be upgraded to give it a fresh and contemporary appeal. New and better lifts will be provided for all the blocks in your precinct and there will be more lift landings at most of the blocks. The lift lobbies will be upgraded and you will also have new letter boxes. At your individual apartment level, your bathroom and toilet will be upgraded. This will include new waterproofing, and tilings to the floor and wall. The Government will also fully pay for the upgrading of the electrical load, the replacement of the toilet soil discharge stacks, the provision of new ramps for easy mobility, and for a new multi-storey car park.
Those of you who need additional space can vote for the space-adding item. For apartment blocks 9, 10 and 11, this comes in the form of a living room extension. For the other apartment blocks, the space-adding item is a utility room.
After the upgrading works are completed, you will enjoy a higher standard of living and the value of your homes will naturally be enhanced.
But before all these improvements can be carried out, at least 75% of the eligible flat owners in our precinct have to vote "Yes" for upgrading.
For the space-adding item, it will only be provided for your block if the whole precinct accepts the standard package, and if 75 percent or more of the eligible owners in your apartment block vote for the space-adding item.
What you will be paying is only a small fraction of the total cost.
A Singapore citizen household living in a 3-room flat pays only 8% or $3,500 for the Standard Package. If he votes for the Standard Plus Package, he pays 20% or $13,400. The Government pays 80% or $53,800. Moreover, you do not have to pay until after the upgrading works have been completed in three years time. And you can use your Central Provident Fund (CPF) savings to pay either in one lump sum or in monthly instalments. An owner of a 3-room flat who chooses a 10-year repayment plan, pays $36 a month for the Standard Package, and $138 a month for the Standard Plus Package.
For those who are in financial hardship, there are special schemes available. For example, eligible senior citizens can defer their upgrading cost payment until their flat is sold or the ownership is transferred to another owner. Thus, you need not forgo upgrading because of financial difficulties.
I want to urge you to think carefully about what the Government's Upgrading Programme can offer you. These are improvement works that you will not be able to carry out on your own. And if you let upgrading pass you, you will not get a second chance. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
An upgraded Marsiling precinct will uplift the standard of living here. But, we should sustain our level of cleanliness and continue to take care of our living environment. I hope residents will continue to be civic-minded and refrain from anti-social behaviour like littering and illegal parking. After all, an upgraded environment will not remain beautiful for long if it is not complemented by gracious social behaviour.
Marsiling precinct is on the threshold of a transformation. So, come forward to vote "yes" for the upgrading programme. By saying "Yes" you are indeed on your way to an improved living environment and a better home.
It now gives me great pleasure to declare open the Upgrading Exhibition for Marsiling precinct.
********************