A FOURTH high-rise motor workshop complex will be built by the Housing and Development Board.

A FOURTH high-rise motor workshop complex will be built by the Housing and Development Board.

The new $65 million centre will be in Sin Ming Industrial Estate, which currently has a cluster of low-rise terraced motor workshops.

‘The project was planned as a high-rise multi-user industrial building to cater to the new generation of motor workshops,’ a HDB spokesman said. ‘It will be a one-stop, integrated motor hub to provide a comprehensive range of motor-related services.’

The HDB is looking for designers via a public tender. It will call a tender for builders later.

This latest project is part of a 10-year plan to relocate more than 1,000 workshops scattered across the island into high-rise complexes. This will maximise land use and allow for better environmental control.

The first such complex - the AMK Autopoint in Ang Mo Kio - opened in 1999. Built at a cost of $83 million, it houses about 110 workshops.

The second one is the Sin Ming AutoCare complex in Sin Ming Industrial Estate.

The third centre, AutoBay@Kaki Bukit in Kaki Bukit Avenue 6, is still under construction. This is the most modern-looking one to date, with its glass facade letting in more natural light.

Workshop operators at the existing complexes say they generally like the new facilities, which are clean, well-ventilated and well-equipped.

Their chief complaint is cost.

Mr Colin Quek, 54, who runs the MB Auto Workshop in AMK Autopoint, said: ‘Rental is high, easily at $4,000 or more, compared with $1,000-plus for terraced workshops. You also need to have your own set of clients, because in a high-rise centre, there are very few walk-ins.’

Another operator, Mr Joey Lim, 40, of Harmony Motor at AMK Autopoint, conceded that though the rent was higher, ‘the environment is better’. But he noted that the design of AMK Autopoint is prone to ‘congestion and bottlenecks’.

He said: ‘The positive point about high-rise is that you enjoy synergy because everybody is in one place. The negative side is that competition is great.’

Source : Straits Times - 6 Aug 2007