Strengthen Heartland Shops
Heartland hawker centre and coffee shop food prices have gone up significantly over the years. This is partly driven by high rents charged by privately-owned coffee shops (acquired by business owners who have paid millions of dollars), and by hawker centres outsourced to and run by external for-profit entities.
Hawker centres directly managed by NEA should be built ahead of demand as a key feature of new estates. Pioneering hawkers of these new hawker centres should pay lower rents as they build up their demand, with stalls awarded leases based on criteria including retail diversity and price range.
To better keep rents stable and manageable, HDB should reacquire all privately owned coffee shops. NEA should also manage hawker centres directly.
HDB should continue to build and directly manage shopping plazas for neighbourhoods, aiming for a diverse retail mix that favours small businesses and microenterprises.