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Starting 23 December, a maximum of 3,000 sqm or 20 percent, whichever is lower, of the total floor area of a commercial building can be occupied by private medical clinics.
In a circular, Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said the purpose of the new guideline is to prevent commercial buildings from becoming de-facto medical centres, as there has been a trend for bigger clinics, with developers submitting 10 applications for such premises in the past two years.
Under the new guidelines, operators who wish to set up medical clinics in commercial buildings are required to submit a planning application to URA for evaluation. However, there are exemptions to facilitate operators setting up in buildings with few existing clinics.
“A planning application is not required if the total medical clinic GFA in the development including the proposed clinic does not exceed 1,000sqm or 20% of the total commercial GFA of the development, whichever is lower,” the agency said.
“For shophouses and HDB shops, a planning application is not required if the total medical clinic GFA in the block including the proposed clinic does not exceed 1,000sqm, and HDB’s prior approval has been obtained for the use of HDB shops,” URA added.
The new rule only covers entities licensed as Western medical/dental clinics under the Private Hospital & Medical Clinics Act, as well as Aesthetic clinics. Meanwhile, TCM clinics, chiropractic and physiotherapy clinics are exempted. The same exemption applies for existing clinics, and clinics situated in HDB shops and shophouse projects.
Nikki De Guzman, Editor at CommercialGuru, edited this story. To contact her about this or other stories email nikki@propertyguru.com.sg.
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