Tanjong Pagar, Raffles Place among areas seeing success from ground-up initiatives to enliven precincts
SINGAPORE: Business has been booming for some restaurants in Tanjong Pagar, thanks to their own initiative.
The shops, hotels and restaurants in the area – from Tanjong Pagar Road to a part of Shenton Way – have banded together to make the place more vibrant, as it is part of a pilot Business Improvement District (BID).
Being part of the programme means members join and fees are collected to fund ground-up projects and events. The government will match these fees up to S$500,000 (US$673,000) each year.
Some eateries told CNA that their tills have been ringing more as increasing numbers of people, including tourists, visit the area for a meal.
“We’ve actually recently expanded – we’ve opened a new sister outlet right across Maxwell station,” said Ms Rich Jacob, operations manager at Kafe Utu, which serves African food.
She noted that there has been a 10 to 20 per cent increase in footfall on weekdays, with even more on weekends.
Residents in the nearby neighbourhood have also benefitted, with money used to spruce up common areas.
