Grace Fu: No plans for NEA to directly manage One Punggol Hawker Centre
National Environment Agency has no plans to directly manage One Punggol Hawker Centre following Timbre+ Hawkers’ early exit. A new operator will be appointed in 2026, with safeguards in place to protect existing stallholders.
- NEA will not directly manage One Punggol Hawker Centre after Timbre+ Hawkers’ early exit, Minister Grace Fu said.
- The tenancy will end on 14 August 2026 by mutual agreement, with a new operator to be appointed in January 2026.
- The centre will remain a socially conscious enterprise, with stallholder rents unchanged during the transition.
SINGAPORE: There are no plans for the National Environment Agency (NEA) to directly manage One Punggol Hawker Centre (OPHC), Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said in a written parliamentary reply on 12 January 2026.
Fu was responding to a question from Workers’ Party MP He Ting Ru, who asked about the reasons behind Timbre+ Hawkers’ early termination of its tenancy at OPHC and whether NEA would consider taking over direct management of the hawker centre.
According to Fu, NEA and Timbre had mutually agreed to end the operator’s tenancy early on 14 August 2026, citing operational challenges faced by Timbre.
She added that the agreed timeline would give NEA sufficient time to appoint a new operator and ensure a smooth transition, with minimal disruption to stallholders and patrons.
OPHC will continue to operate as a socially conscious enterprise hawker centre (SEHC), Fu said.
New Operator to Be Appointed in 2026
NEA will call for an open tender to appoint a new operator for OPHC in January 2026, following Timbre’s decision to exit the hawker centre a year before its scheduled tenancy end.
Timbre announced on 29 December 2025 that it would cut short its tenancy, which was originally due to end on 14 August 2027.
The company said the decision was reached through mutual agreement with NEA, taking into account overall operational considerations and prevailing market conditions.
NEA said Timbre had indicated that operating the hawker centre posed challenges for its ongoing operations. The agency also confirmed that Timbre will not be participating in the upcoming tender to appoint a new operator.
OPHC, which opened in 2022 and has been operated by Timbre since its launch, houses 34 stalls and is designated as a socially conscious enterprise hawker centre.
During the transition period, there will be no changes to stallholders’ rentals and ancillary fees. The incoming operator will also be required to retain all existing stallholders who wish to continue operating for at least two years.
Current rental rates will be maintained for the first year, with any subsequent increases capped at market-valued rental averages, NEA added.
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