No more eateries are allowed to be opened in dining belts in three locations – Thomson Village, Little India and Bedok – so as to rein in the problems of overflow and illegal parking due to the high footfall of diners.
The belt at Upper Thomson Road that the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and Land Transport Authority (LTA) added to the ban list on May 30 is the swathe bound by Soo Chow Walk, Jalan Todak, Shun Fu Road and Sin Ming Road, reported Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao.
The other two locations are stretches along Bedok Road and Jalan Pari Burong, and the shophouses along Serangoon Road, Jalan Besar and Kitchener Road in the Little India Historic District.
With the additions, there are now 21 locations in Singapore marked out by URA and LTA as where the setting up of new eating houses are disallowed.
The ban list, first announced in 2002, is subject to regular reviews. The previous one in October 2014 saw as many as seven locations included.
The current rule stipulates that non-food businesses now operating in these locations are not allowed to be converted into eateries, even if the shops are leased out or sold, Lianhe Wanbao pointed out.
Only where an eatery has been in operation, another one can open if it closes, according to the rules.
There are currently 30 eateries in Thomson Village, 12 in Bedok, and 50 in Little India.
A beverage seller in Thomson Village told Shin Min Daily News that restaurants attract hordes of customers to the area, but a lack of parking space has led to cars being parked haphazardly, causing inconvenience to road users.
According to URA and LTA, the “no new eatery” ban will be lifted in an affected location once its traffic condition improves.
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