The new Hawker Center is expected to open in the first quarter of 2024 near Sengkang Sport Center

SINGAPORE – Residents of Sengkang can look forward to a new hawker center in the first quarter of 2024.

The Anchorvale Village Hawker Center at 339 Anchorvale Road is close to the Sengkang Sports Center and the Farmway LRT. According to the tender documents from The Straits Times, there will be 36 cookshops and 650 seats.

This comes amid government plans to build 20 new street vendor centers island-wide to cater to residents’ needs and add more than 800 stalls selling cooked food.

Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and Environment Amy Khor said in parliament on March 2 that the government will give priority to new and existing properties in core areas, which are relatively underserved in terms of affordable dining options.

“These locations are selected after careful consideration of factors including residential communion, availability of comparable dining options and complementary facilities nearby. This will ensure that the center meets the needs of residents while avoiding undue competition between comparable F&B establishments,” she added.

Two new hawker centers are due to open later in 2023 – one in Buangkok and the other in Woodleigh. A total of 25 hawker centers are to be repaired and refurnished in 2023.

The Fernvale Hawker Center near Seletar Mall in Sengkang West opened in the third quarter of 2022.

The Anchorvale Village Hawker Center will be part of an integrated mixed-use commercial and residential development that will include two blocks of HDB apartments and one neighborhood block.

Neighborhood centers are positioned by the Housing and Development Board (HDB) as “social and wellness” centers where residents have easy access to food, restaurants, health care and shopping.

HDB announced last Saturday that the 207-unit Anchorvale Village Build-To-Order (BTO) project is scheduled for completion between May and July 2023.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) specified in its tender documents that the Hawker Center must have a Food Waste Digester.

Food waste desgesters typically work by using microbes to break down food waste into simpler organic materials that can typically be used as fertilizer.

According to the public sector sustainability plan – known as GreenGov.sg – by 2024, public buildings housing food and beverage (F&B) facilities must separate food waste for on-site or off-site treatment.