New 800-seat hawker centre opens in Sembawang, first one there in 30 years

SINGAPORE – After a close to three-year delay due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre opened on Saturday, marking it the first such facility in Sembawang in about 30 years.

The site was part of Chong Pang Village, which used to house a wet market and hawker centre and was demolished in the 1980s.

Speaking at the hawker centre on Saturday, Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung, who is also an MP for Sembawang GRC, said: “There are many interesting features in this hawker centre. Cost of living is always an issue, and with the hawker centre now, we can generally lower the food prices for residents.”

The 800-seat facility has 44 stalls, with only one vacant. Four sell halal food, another four Indian fare, and the rest a mix of Asian items. About 10 per cent of the stalls are run by Sembawang residents.

On Saturday morning, most of the tables were taken up and long queues formed at some stalls.

Residents said the hawker centre is a long-awaited addition to the community. For Mr Joshua Batula, a 27-year-old software engineer, it is a five-minute walk from his home and gives him more food choices.

“It has been quite a wait, and residents here were eagerly expecting this to open. Before this, if I wanted hawker food, there was only one similar foodcourt nearby.

“The layout here is also quite special because it is close to the park connector and other sports facilities, which is good for me because I play sports.”

Ms Kalin Tan, 52, a Sembawang resident of more than 30 years, said: “I came today because I heard it was the opening, and I wanted to look around. The food is not bad although (the price) is a bit on the higher side.”

Ms Tan, who is self-employed, previously had to go to Chong Pang Market and Food Centre in Yishun to get hawker food.

The new hawker centre is part of the Bukit Canberra integrated sports and community hub, which will have other facilities such as a multipurpose hall, swimming complex and polyclinic.

The pools and a gym are expected to be ready in the first half of 2023 while the multipurpose hall is already open. The roll-out dates for the other facilities have not yet been announced.

Other features of the hawker centre include a mobile app that allows patrons to place orders and pay as well as receive a notification to collect their food when it is ready.

Points earned through the app can be used to offset subsequent purchases. From 2023, a Pay-It-Forward programme will enable people to buy meals for less fortunate groups.

There is also an in-house nutritionist to ensure that food options remain as healthy as possible, with the calorie count displayed next to each food item on the menu.

Mr Ong acknowledged that some of the food prices are slightly higher, especially for more creative dishes from younger entrepreneurs that may require more effort.

“The important thing is to have choices. We have some that are more expensive, and some that are more traditional and simpler that cost less,” he said, adding that there are discount programmes as well.

Each cooked food stall has two main food items priced under $3.50, and there is a 10 per cent discount off regular-priced purchases at all stalls for Community Health Assist Scheme as well as Pioneer and Merdeka Generation cardholders.

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Saturday’s healthy customer traffic was a welcome sight for stall operators such as Mr Muhammad Syarafuddin who had relocated from Block 101 Yishun Avenue 5, where he sold putu piring, a traditional Malay snack.

He has expanded his menu to offer burgers, spaghetti and other Western foods at his new stall, bege.rack.

He said: “We thought this place was good – it is new and there are sports facilities, so there will be better traffic. It is still early, so it is hard to tell how business will be, but hopefully, it will all go well.”

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.