Ravi Chandran
If you have bought a commercial property and are contemplating on the type of business to operate out of it, know that you may have to apply for planning permission for a change of use from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).
Planning permission is required, depending on your business use and the the type of property you have in mind. For example, you want to set up a restaurant in a particular commercial building.
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Planning permission for Restaurants
Restaurants are premises primarily used for sale of food for consumption at the premises without performance of live music, or live entertainment. The sale of liquor and alcoholic drinks, if any, is for consumption on the premises and incidental to the consumption of food.
- It includes a coffee shop, eating house, snack bar, cafeteria, foodcourt, fast-food restaurant.
- It does not include a canteen.
- A restaurant cannot be used as a bar.
Typically a restaurant premises would be required to have sufficient parking space and proper sound proofing measures to reduce noise disturbances.
Planning permission for Bars and Pubs
Bars and Pubs are premises which are primarily used for the sale of alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises without dancing, singing or performance of live music or live entertainment. The premises should have proper sound proofing measures to reduce noise disturbances.
Planning permission for Nightclubs
Nightclubs are premises primarily used for the sale of alcoholic drinks (and food, if any) for consumption on the premises, with dancing, singing or performances involving recorded music, live music or live entertainment. This includes karaoke lounges and discotheques.
In addition to URA’s planning permission, business operators are required to obtain a Public Entertainment (PE) Licence from the Police Licensing and Regulatory Department (PLRD) before committing to a tenancy agreement or starting the renovation works. The nightclub premises should have proper sound proofing measures to reduce noise disturbances.
Planning permission for shop, office and services
Shops are premises used for any trade or business where its primary purpose is the sale of goods or foodstuff by retail or provision of services. It includes a furniture shop, department store, pawnshop, beauty salon, travel agency, confectionery and take-away foodshop.
Offices are premises used as a place of business and for conducting administrative work. It includes a bank, finance office, real estate company, employment agency, advertising agency and marketing office.
Massage establishments are premises used for massage or spa services licenced by the Police. In addition to URA’s planning permission, business operators are required to obtain a Massage Establishment (ME) Licence from the Police Licensing and Regulatory Department (PLRD) before committing to a tenancy agreement or starting the renovation works.
Medical Clinics are premises used by a medical practitioner, a dentist or any other person for diagnosis or treatment of persons suffering from any disease, injury or disability.
Pet shops are premises used for the sale of live animals normally kept as domestic pets. It includes a veterinary clinic, pet grooming service and sale of pet related accessories. It does not include pet hotel and pet boarding use.
Pet Boarding/Hotel refers to premises which are primarily used for the boarding for pets. These are places where pet-owners pay to have their pets housed and cared for over a certain period of time.
Planning Permission for Education
Commercial schools are premises used for the purpose of teaching, training or imparting of knowledge or skill. It includes tuition centre, language school, computer school, baking and cooking school, art school, music and dance school. It does not include primary school, secondary school, junior college, vocational and technical institution, polytechnic and university.
Childcare centres are any premises at which 5 or more children who are under the age of 7 years are habitually received for the purposes of care and supervision during part of the day or for longer periods. It includes kindergarten, student care centre and infant care centre.
Planning Permission for Sports & Recreation
Fitness centres/gymnasiums are premises used for physical exercise and fitness activities. It includes sports club, sports complex and community sports and fitness buildings.
Amusement Centres are premises with game machines (e.g. jackpot machines, pin-bill machines, darts machines) for entertainment. They include arcade centres, computer gaming centres, billiard centre, bowling alley and darts club. In addition to URA’s planning permission, business operators are required to obtain a Public Entertainment (PE) Licence from the Police Licensing and Regulatory Department (PLRD) before committing to a tenancy agreement or starting the renovation works.
Planning Permission for Accommodation
Residential use refers to premises used for long-term residential dwelling purposes. Private residential properties must be rented for at least three consecutive months. They may not be used for short-term rentals on a daily or weekly basis. Maximum number of unrelated occupants in a property is six. Any internal partitioning works must not compromise the nature of the property as a single self-sufficient residential unit.
Backpackers’ Hostels are open concept dormitories with a minimum of six beds per room, used to provide boarding and lodging for commercial purposes.
Hotels are premises used to provide boarding and lodging for commercial purposes.
Students’ hostels are premises used to provide boarding and lodging for students who are studying in local primary schools, secondary schools, junior colleges and tertiary institutions.
Serviced Apartments refers to residential premises comprising non-strata subdivided, self-contained apartments with provision for kitchenettes/kitchens. They are rented out for lodging for a minimum of seven days and have support services such as concierge, housekeeping and/or laundry provided. It does not include hotels, boarding houses, workers’ dormitories and students’ hostels.
Workers’ dormitory are premises used to house foreign workers who are engaged to perform industrial or production activities.
Planning Permission for Industrial-Related Uses
Light Industrial Use refers to premises where the processes carried out or the machinery installed can be done so in any residential area without polluting the area with noise, vibration, odour, fumes, and smoke. It includes manufacturing of textile goods, packing of dried foodstuffs, manufacturing of containers, printing and publishing industries.
General Industrial Use refers to premises where the processes carried out or the machinery installed cannot be done so in any residential area, as it would pollute the area with noise, vibration, odour fumes and smoke. It includes vehicle/motorcycle repair and servicing, installation of tyres and batteries, food manufacturing, manufacturing of furniture and fixtures.
Industrial Training refers to premises used for practical training with the use of heavy machinery and equipment, or pure theory/classroom-based training on workplace health and safety for construction, shipyard and oil industries only.
Warehouse refers to premises primarily for storage of goods and where no business is transacted other than those which are incidental to storage.
Industrial Canteen refers to premises located within a factory building that primarily serve food to workers in the industrial estate.
Showroom refers to premises used to display or showcase products that are not typically transacted and exchanged over the counter (e.g. furniture), or products that are predominantly delivered and installed off-site (e.g. floor tiles).
E-business refers to premises used for businesses that provide telecommunications infrastructure and/or develop software. It includes telecommunications, data farm/centre, software development, internet service provider and call centre.
Core Media Activities refers to premises used for production services that require technical facilities such as studios and high-tech production software/hardware. It includes pre-production (scripting, editorial editing), studio production, audio recording, programming and post-production and distribution (video editing, audio engineering, film printing, sorting and packaging for print media).
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Planning Permission for Community-Related Uses
Association/ Community Club/ Family Service Centre, they all refer to premises used for community-based activities. It does not include welfare home, childcare centre, funeral parlour, a home for the aged or a home for the disabled.
Planning Permission for Religious Use
Religious Activities refers to premises used for public worship, religious teaching, studies, seminars and include seminaries.
Planning Permission for Limited & Non-Exclusive Religious Use
Religious use on a limited basis without any exclusive lease or ownership to religious organisations. Religious activities should be conducted in sites that are specially designated for worship. These sites are zoned “Place of Worship” in the Master Plan.
URA has recently reduced the processing fees for change of use applications. Instead of paying $800 for a change of use application and $400 for subsequent renewals, applicants now only have to pay $300 and $150 respectively. The fees to lodge a change of use application under the Lodgment Scheme have also been reduced from $300 to $100.
Details of the fees revision are as follows:
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