Review of HDB Blocks in Hougang for Lift Upgrading Programme
Ministry of National DevelopmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the status of HDB blocks in Hougang ineligible for the Lift Upgrading Programme (LUP) as raised by Mr Png Eng Huat. Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong stated that despite using innovative solutions, about 150 blocks nationwide remain unfeasible due to prohibitive costs or technical constraints. These include six blocks in Hougang SMC, and recent pilots for pneumatic vacuum elevators and vertical platform lifts were also found to be unfeasible. Residents in these affected blocks with urgent medical or mobility needs may approach HDB for housing and financing assistance, assessed on a case-by-case basis. This policy provides a recourse for those in need of direct lift access when site-specific constraints prevent the standard implementation of the LUP.
Transcript
68 Mr Png Eng Huat asked the Minister for National Development whether he will provide an update on the review status of the HDB blocks in Hougang that are not under the Lift Upgrading Programme (LUP) and what will be the fate of these blocks that will not get LUP after the review.
Mr Lawrence Wong: LUP was introduced in 2001 to provide direct lift access to flats and enhance convenience for residents, especially the elderly and less mobile. At the start of the programme, there were more than 5,300 HDB blocks where not all dwelling units have direct lift access. Among them, more than 1,000 blocks were initially found to be unfeasible for LUP due to cost or technical constraints.
Over the years, HDB has adopted innovative technical solutions to help flats in these affected blocks achieve direct lift access. Some examples of solutions that have been successfully implemented include lifts that do not have a machine room at the top of the shafts, that is, machine room-less lifts, creation of new entry points to residents' homes and the use of smaller "home lifts".
More recently, HDB has piloted new solutions like the Pneumatic Vacuum Elevator at Lorong 6 Toa Payoh and the Vertical Platform Lift at Petir Road, but both were found to be unfeasible.
Nonetheless, through the various innovative solutions, the vast majority of the 5,300 blocks have benefited from LUP over the years. There remains about 150 blocks where it is still not possible to implement LUP due to prohibitive costs or existing technical or site constraints. This includes six blocks in Hougang SMC. Residents living in these blocks who are in urgent need of direct lift access due to medical conditions or disability may approach HDB for housing and financing assistance. HDB will assess each request on a case-by-case basis to see how best to render help.