Govt Urged To Put Idle Sites To Better Use

The government has been urged to make better use of idle sites to provide community facilities for newly built public housing estates.

The Community Development Alliance made the call on Saturday, after it found that close to half of the 30-odd public housing estates built in the past 5 years have vacant public land in their vicinity.

The alliance said the total area of the 39 vacant sites are as big as 61 standard basketball courts.

It said although many of these plots are already involved in town planning projects, it takes at least two decades to complete those projects, and in the meantime, residents in the public estates have no pleasant public space nearby to hang out.

The alliance urges authorities to let NGOs rent the plots for the short term to provide community services, and make sure the procedure and requirements are clear and transparent.