Expiring leases at Lorong 3 Geylang: Five owners have not found permanent housing; interim accommodation offered
Geylang Lorong 3 houses seen from across the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway. (Photo: Try Sutrisno Foo)
SINGAPORE: Five owners of units at Lorong 3 Geylang, whose leases are due to expire on Dec 31, have not found permanent housing, said the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) on Thursday (Dec 3).
These owners have been offered the option by the Housing and Development Board to rent a flat under the Interim Rental Housing scheme.
SLA had announced in June 2017 that 191 terrace house units at Lorong 3 Geylang would return to the State upon expiry of their leases.
The land, which has a 60-year lease, will be redeveloped for public housing as part of the larger plan to rejuvenate Kallang, SLA said.
Of the 191 units, five of them have already been returned to the State. Thirty-seven units are currently occupied by its owners and 149 units are vacant, or used as foreign worker accommodation or used for religious activities, SLA added in a media statement.
All occupants will have to vacate their premises on Dec 31.
Among the 37 owner-occupied units, 32 of them have already found new housing.
At a media briefing on Thursday, SLA added that six owners have indicated that they would need to rent flats under the Interim Rental Housing scheme, as their flats would not be complete by Dec 31.
Meanwhile, the owners of five other units are still considering their long-term housing options, said SLA. They have all been offered units by HDB under the Interim Rental Housing scheme upon lease expiry.
For units used as foreign workers’ accommodation, SLA and the Ministry of Manpower have contacted employers to make relocation arrangements. Employers have said that they will relocate their workers by Dec 31, said SLA.
There are 16 units currently used for religious purposes, added SLA, and 13 of them will either relocate or wind down.
Occupants of the last three units are reviewing their options, which include co-locating with religious organisations operating in other areas or renting from commercial or industrial premises.
Those who need help relocating altars and deities may contact the National Steering Committee on Racial and Religious Harmony for assistance.
“After all the properties have been returned to the State upon lease expiry, SLA will hoard it up and clear the site to prepare it for redevelopment,” the agency said.
