Change on the Horizon for One Punggol Hawker Centre

In a significant development, the National Environment Agency (NEA) of Singapore plans to appoint a new operator for the One Punggol Hawker Centre starting in January 2026. This comes after Timbre+ Hawkers announced its decision to terminate its tenancy a year earlier than expected.

Early Termination Details

Timbre+ will manage the hawker centre until August 14, 2026, completing its initial two-year term and nearly two years of its second term. In an official statement, NEA confirmed Timbre’s early exit, emphasizing that this decision arose from a mutual agreement influenced by “overall operational considerations and prevailing market conditions.”

According to NEA, Timbre expressed that its ongoing operations at the hawker centre had encountered various challenges. The company began its second tenure in 2024, with the original end date slated for August 14, 2027. Since its opening in 2022, the One Punggol Hawker Centre has featured 34 stalls, designed with a socially conscious enterprise model in mind.

Transition Plans

Notably, Timbre will not participate in the tender process for the new operator. The company has committed to collaborating with NEA to facilitate a seamless transition to the incoming operator, ensuring minimal disruption for stallholders, patrons, and the community. Throughout this period, there will be no changes to stallholders’ rentals or ancillary fees.

Timbre reaffirmed its dedication to maintaining the vibrancy of the One Punggol Hawker Centre until the end of its tenancy and remains focused on being a responsible operator within its portfolio of community-focused dining venues.

Past Challenges and Future Considerations

This announcement follows criticism earlier this year regarding Timbre’s management of another socially conscious hawker centre, the Yishun Park Hawker Centre. Food critic KF Seetoh raised concerns pertaining to issues such as rent levels and surveillance measures at the venue.

For operators of socially conscious hawker centres like Timbre, stall rents are proposed upfront during the tender submissions to NEA. These operators are prohibited from adjusting hawker rents once they assume their duties, nor can they subject stall rentals to bidding.

As a benchmark, between 2015 and 2023, the median rent for non-subsidised cooked food stalls in NEA-managed hawker centres was approximately S$1,250 (around US$970), as highlighted by Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu earlier this year.

Conclusion

The upcoming changes at One Punggol Hawker Centre signal a shift in operational management within the market, reflecting both current challenges and commitments to community standards. As the search for a new operator commences, stakeholders will be looking for a seamless transition that upholds the interests of all parties involved.