NEA to seek new operator for One Punggol Hawker Centre after Timbre cuts short tenancy
Timbre's tenancy at One Punggol Hawker Centre will end a year early on Aug 14, 2026.
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SINGAPORE: The National Environment Agency (NEA) will seek a new operator for One Punggol Hawker Centre in January 2026 after the current operator, Timbre+ Hawkers, announced on Monday (Dec 29) that it will cut short its tenancy by a year.
Timbre will continue to operate the hawker centre until Aug 14, 2026, when its tenancy will end, NEA said in a media release. By then, Timbre would have fulfilled its initial two-year tenancy and completed two of the three years of its second term.
In a separate media release, Timbre Group said that the early conclusion was a mutual agreement between the company and NEA, adding that it took into account "overall operational considerations and prevailing market conditions".
NEA said that Timbre indicated that the tenancy posed challenges for its ongoing operations at the hawker centre.
Timbre's second tenancy at One Punggol Hawker Centre began in 2024, with its original tenancy end date on Aug 14, 2027. It has operated the socially conscious enterprise hawker centre since the venue opened in 2022 with 34 stalls.
Timbre will not be taking part in the open tender for the new operator.
It said that it will work with NEA to "ensure a smooth and orderly transition to the incoming operator, with minimal disruption to stallholders, patrons and the community".
NEA said that Timbre "has committed to uphold the vibrancy of One Punggol Hawker Centre until the conclusion of the tenancy".
Timbre said that there will be no changes to the stallholders' rentals and ancillary fees during the transition period.
It also added that it "remains dedicated to its role as a responsible operator of public dining spaces across its portfolio of placemaking venues".
Earlier this year, Timbre received criticism over its management of Yishun Park Hawker Centre, which is also a socially conscious enterprise hawker centre. Food critic KF Seetoh took aim at Timbre's rents, closed-circuit television cameras and its fines.
For socially conscious enterprise hawker centres, stall rents are proposed upfront by operators in their tender bids to NEA. Operators are also not allowed to vary hawkers' rent over their tenancy terms or subject the stall rentals to bidding.
The median rent for all non-subsidised cooked food stalls in hawker centres managed by NEA was around S$1,250 (US$970) between 2015 and 2023, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said in February this year.
Timbre also expressed "its sincere appreciation to NEA for its guidance and support, from the early planning stages of One Punggol Hawker Centre through its operations to date".
NEA said that the new operator will be required to retain all existing individual stallholders who wish to continue their operations for at least two years.
During this period, the current rental rates will be maintained for the first year, with any subsequent adjustments capped at market-valued rental averages.
"The well-being of existing individual stallholders is a priority for NEA," the agency added.
"NEA remains committed to supporting hawkers and patrons while continuously improving socially conscious enterprise hawker centres to better serve the community."
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