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SINGAPORE: Vendors along the busy pedestrian walkway on Waterloo Street will soon have to pay rent as the government tries to address public health risks amid COVID-19, the Singapore Lands Authority (SLA) announced on Tuesday (December 8).
SLA said the area has become cluttered over the years with crowded stalls and discarded boxes clogging the way, creating health and fire hazards.
The new plans along the stretch of Waterloo Mall will ensure that there is a 6m wide space for fire truck access, and the posts will be separated by at least 1m as part of safe distancing measures.
Street vendors will have to vote for a lot on December 14 and will move into their designated space starting January 4 of next year.
Street vendors outside the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple on Waterloo Street on the afternoon of December 7, 2020 (Photo: Jeremy Long)
SLA decided to vote to allocate the lots to ensure “fairness and transparency,” it said in a press release. But flower vendors will be given a place right outside the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple, as many devotees buy flowers from them.
There are 41 street vendors, comprising 19 fortune tellers, 19 flower vendors, two reflexologists and a shoemaker, according to SLA figures. Everyone will be assigned a lot, SLA said.
They will have to pay S $ 48.15 each month for a three-year temporary occupancy license for a 3 square meter lot.
Vendors currently pay no fees for their space, although flower vendors pay S $ 120 a year for a street vending license from the Singapore Food Agency.
To help street vendors during the COVID-19 pandemic, SLA said it will only start charging the license fee from June 1 of next year. Providers facing financial difficulties can request assistance from the agency.
No new lots will be issued and the license cannot be transferred to another provider.
Makeshift flower vendors line the streets outside the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple on Waterloo Street on December 7, 2020 (Photo: Jeremy Long)
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SELLERS “DO NOT SURPRISE”, SAYS SLA
Neighborhood residents have complained about how crowded the area is, SLA said.
SLA said it did not formally consult with providers about the plans, although it has spoken with the advisor to the local Citizens Advisory Committee. An SLA spokesperson said vendors “were not surprised” and that there were “no adverse reactions” when they were informed of the move Tuesday morning.
SLA began drawing up plans for the street in June and action was required quickly as various government agencies participated in the planning, the spokesperson said.
The agency will carry out “ground preparation work” in phases between December 15 and January 12. In the meantime, there will be no business interruption for street vendors, he said.
