Safer and more pleasant street experience at Waterloo Mall

        Visitors to Waterloo Mall can look forward to a safer and more pleasant street experience as agencies will be organising the activities along the popular street. Existing street vendors operating at Waterloo Mall will be offered designated spaces along stretches of Waterloo Mall and Albert Mall to set up stalls and ply their trades starting from 4 January 2021. The street enhancement exercise by the Singapore Land Authority (SLA), and supported by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), aims to improve public health and safety along the pedestrianised street by allowing safe distancing between street vendors in the area as well as unobstructed fire engine access.

2.      Currently, the pedestrian mall is often busy and filled with stall setups and discarded boxes that obstruct the pathways. These are not conducive to both the street vendors and visitors to the area, and are potential fire hazards as they obstruct fire engine access along Waterloo Mall. The congregation of the street vendors in close proximity also poses public health and safety concerns in view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 

3.       To address these concerns, the vendors will be offered designated lots to ply their trades at the pedestrian mall. These designated spaces will allow for a safe distance between the stalls, while ensuring clear fire engine access for emergencies. Spacing out the designated lots for the street vendors to ply their trades also opens up more walking space for pedestrians, thus enhancing the overall street experience at Waterloo Mall. 

4.       There are 19 fortune tellers, 19 flower vendors, two reflexologists and one cobbler currently plying their trades at Waterloo Mall. All of them will each be allocated a lot to continue operating in the area. 

5.        The allocation of lots for the street vendors will be done via balloting to ensure fairness and transparency. SLA and SFA have explained the rationale to the street vendors and will continue to engage and assist them through the process. The Kampong Glam Citizens’ Consultative Committee (CCC) will also provide a new umbrella to each street vendor. 

6.         As part of this street enhancement exercise, a Temporary Occupation Licence (TOL) will be issued by SLA to each street vendor for the allocated lot at a fee of $48.15 per month, which works out to around $1.60 per day. To facilitate this new arrangement, and to help the street vendors during the COVID-19 pandemic, SLA will only start collecting the TOL fee from 1 June 2021. Vendors who face financial difficulties may approach the SLA for assistance.

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