SINGAPORE – Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam has asked relevant agencies to assess the lease and find alternatives for the tenants of 195 Pearl’s Hill Terrace (195PHT) – an independent arts cluster in Chinatown.
He was speaking at 195PHT on Feb 2, after a tour of the conserved former police barracks and a closed-door discussion with more than 20 sub-tenants. The Ministry of Law is the parent ministry of the Singapore Land Authority (SLA), which leases out the building.
On Jan 24, The Straits Times reported that independent arts clusters like 195PHT and Emily Hill were struggling to survive and plan for the future due to rent hikes, uncertain leases and urban redevelopment. The lease for 195PHT expires in March 2025 as the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has a masterplan to build 6,000 public and private homes in the area over the next decade.
Reiterating the URA’s masterplan for land use, Mr Shanmugam said: “I told the tenants – look, we will try and help to see whether, first of all, in terms of timelines whether there is any discretion available. Secondly, whether there are any alternate places where they can go together – we will look.”
Sub-tenants said they felt hopeful about a reassessment, which they understand will take about three months. But The Potters’ Guilt and LVL Music Academy are worried about the timeline as they are already in discussions to relocate.
Whether 195PHT gets an extension, Mr Shanmugam said, “would depend on the assessment by the agencies of their value and the service they provide to the community”.
Mr Raymond Luo, 36, creative director of Clink Clank Clunk, who runs the community’s Instagram page, said Mr Shanmugam’s criterion is good. “More than just a space, the community and the culture is what makes this place completely different from everywhere else in Singapore and very rare in the rest of the world as well. It makes it even more important for the community to band together here and fight for a chance.”
Master tenant Jerry Tan, 63, also expressed optimism about the discussions and cited examples of community work his sub-tenants are involved in, including beach cleaning and art therapy sessions for children with special needs.
Mr Shanmugam observed that the arts cluster was a “very interesting place”. “The tenants seem to put a lot of heart and soul into what they are doing – and these are just first impressions, I haven’t dealt with any of them before – but I can say they are passionate, they are committed and they want to do some things. Generally, this is good to see in Singapore. It makes for a better soul for Singapore.”
