A very good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

Introduction
2 Thank you for joining us today at our dialogue session. We appreciate your taking time off from your precious weekend to join us at our dialogue session.

The Exhibitions
3 At the National Day Rally on 19 Aug, the Prime Minister announced a plan to remake our HDB heartland. The announcement, especially the very attractive 3D visuals, has challenged the imagination of Singaporeans and gotten many excited.

4 I have received many complimentary feedback, but there were some who asked – Is this plan possible? Are you sure this is what Singaporeans want? Would Singaporeans want housing that is more basic? Well, we are not entirely sure and that is the reason for us to be here today. A beautiful plan is not a good plan if it does not meet the needs of Singaporeans. We want you to give us your views so that our plan will be relevant and effective in meeting your housing needs. HDB has therefore embarked on a series of exhibitions to engage the public and seek their views. More than 26,000 people has visited the main exhibition in HDB Hub from 1 to 8 Sep, with many giving us interesting comments and suggestions. And I am glad to say that, so far, HDB has received many encouraging comments and compliments.

5 The Remaking our HDB Heartland plan is an exciting and visionary one. It shows our options for estates of different ages.

6 For the new estates, we have showed the possibilities with waterfront living in Punggol where a new waterway will meander through the estate. For mature estates, where possible, as in the case of Dawson, we will introduce a new generation of public housing to rejuvenate the place. For a middle-age estate like Yishun, residents can look forward to more activity in the town centre and facilities for recreation. In the various proposals, we aim to build up the identity of the estates by leveraging on their natural assets and history. Through these renewal efforts, we hope to create a greater sense of belonging, community spirit and pride among residents.

7 The exhibitions also featured two new programmes announced by PM, the Home Improvement Programme or HIP and Neighbourhood Renewal Programme or NRP. The HIP and NRP are also the result of feedback that we received at the Heartware Forum. So you can see how public feedback has helped us refine our policies and programmes.

8 I am pleased to share with you today some feedback collated from surveys and interviews carried out at the main exhibition at HDB Hub.

Preliminary Findings from Surveys and Interviews

9 Our survey respondents came from a spectrum of age-groups and backgrounds but were mostly owners of HDB flats.

10 Most of the feedback received was positive and supportive of the plan. More than 80 percent of the respondents indicated that they were excited about the plan.

11 Specifically, most respondents supported the proposed commercial cum residential development at the Punggol Town Centre. An overwhelming majority agreed that the proposals for Punggol would contribute to the vision of "A Waterfront Town of the 21st Century". Similarly, for the Yishun plan, respondents indicated that they supported the proposed integration of a modern shopping complex with housing and a bus interchange. The majority of respondents were also attracted to the proposed outdoor facilities and the green link/park connectors. For Dawson, respondents liked the sky garden and “housing in a park” proposals highlighted as part of the New Generation of Public Housing.

12 For the two new programmes, HIP and NRP, we received more than 95 percent support for HIP and about 80 percent expressed interest in participating in the consultation process for the NRP.

13 We have received many requests and suggestions. For instance, for Dawson, we received suggestions such as a multi-screen theatre or a performance stage at the proposed Community Green. Many urged us to implement quickly.

Focus Groups

14 HDB has also engaged focus groups comprising both existing residents and prospective flat buyers for in-depth discussions. Feedback, comments and suggestions were sought on the new waterway, new generation of public housing, community green and the flexible housing unit/layout.

15 While the participants were generally excited about the proposals, a general concern was that the maintenance of the flats and proposed features might be costly. Many also mentioned that cost of housing was an important factor and the premium for the new public housing should not be too high. This shows that our residents and future home-owners are prudent and practical.

Seminar

16 Last week, HDB held a seminar for industry professionals such as architects, engineers and professionals to seek their views on the proposals. Some of them also shared with us their observations and experiences in similar projects abroad. For example, we heard that in certain cities in China, the homes are built very close to the water so that the relationship between people and water is brought closer and more direct. Although we may have other considerations in Singapore such as access to the waterway by the general public, this is certainly food for thought for HDB when planning the Punggol waterfront housing.

Follow-up

17 HDB and its partner agencies will study the feedback and refine their plans. In the meanwhile, the public is most welcomed to continue to give us your views and suggestions.

18 We have come a long way since our first flats were built by HDB in the 1960s. We hope to continue to shape our public housing and remake our heartland and that you will join us on this journey. I hope to hear your views on the Remaking of Heartland.

19 It is therefore my pleasure now to start the dialogue session and hear from you on your comments and suggestions regarding the “Remaking our Heartland” proposals.