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MPs float suggestions for helping HDB residents without lift access

SINGAPORE — The Government could rethink its cost considerations when evaluating blocks for the Lift Upgrading Programme, so that more can benefit from having lift access on every floor, several Members of Parliament (MPs) said today (April 14).

SINGAPORE — The Government could rethink its cost considerations when evaluating blocks for the Lift Upgrading Programme, so that more can benefit from having lift access on every floor, several Members of Parliament (MPs) said today (April 14).

Some also suggested measures that could help residents without lift access, such as building stairlifts for wheelchairs, to help wheelchair-bound residents get to floors that have lift access.

Currently, some 200 blocks of Housing Development Board (HDB) flats which were built before 1990 still do not have lift access on every floor. They cannot benefit from the Lift Upgrading Programme (LUP) as it would cost more than S$30,000 per unit to install lifts in these blocks, busting the cap that the HDB has set in order for flats to qualify for an upgrade.

Mr Png Eng Huat, Member of Parliament for Hougang, had tabled a parliamentary question asking what would happen to these 200 blocks, given that the lift upgrading scheme is scheduled to be completed by December this year.

Mr Lee Yi Shyan, Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of National Development and Ministry of Trade and Industry, reiterated that as the LUP has a budget of S$5 billion, its implementation has to be subjected to reasonable cost caps.

He said that the HDB will continue to look for new technology solutions, and is “piloting some possible solutions that look promising”. However, some time is required to assess their suitability, he noted.

This prompted MP Denise Phua to ask for an increase in the cost cap, given that the flats are of old designs and are “not really the fault of the residents”.

But Mr Lee explained that it is not a simple matter of “just adjusting the cost cap incrementally” as some of the costs could be two to three times of the cost cap. He also highlighted the technical constraints in some blocks given their configurations, pointing out that sometimes units can be in between other units that have lift access, for example.

“The cost is not just marginal, some of the costs are as good as building new flats itself so it’s a very difficult cost-benefit situation.”

Nee Soon GRC MP Lee Bee Wah also asked for the ministry to consider giving the affected homeowners the sum of the cost cap to help them relocate to a new flat with lift access.

Mr Lee responded that residents can approach the HDB for financial assistance or other forms of assistance, and they will look at it on a case by case basis.

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