Under Section 10 (read with Section 12) of the Planning Act, no person shall make any material change in the use of the building or land without the permission of the Urban Redevelopment Authority. Under the Schedule to the Planning (Use Classes) Rules, the classes specified are:-- Class I: Use as a shop
- Class II: Use as an office or a commercial school
- Class III: Use as a restaurant
- Class IV: Use as a health centre or an amusement centre
- Class V: Use as a motor vehicle showroom
- Class VI: Use as a theatre
- Class VII: Use as a light industrial building
- Class VIII: Use as a general industrial building
- Class IX: Use as a special industrial building
- Class X: Use as a warehouse
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Class XI: Use as a convalescent home
- Class XII: Use as a child care centre
- Class XIII: Use as a community building
- Class XIV: Use as a sports and recreation building
- Class XV: Use as a nightclub
- Class XVI: Use as a pet shop
Further under paragraph 2 of the said Rules, a "restaurant" is defined to be a building used for the carrying on of any trade or business where the primary purpose is the sale by retail of foodstuffs for consumption on the premises and includes a coffee shop, eating house, snack bar, cafeteria or foodcourt. A "bar " or "pub" is defined to be a building used for the carrying on of any trade or business where the primary purpose is the sale of alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. Restaurants are permitted within buildings zoned "Commercial" (e.g. shopping complexes) and buildings zoned "Commercial/Residential" or "Residential with Commercial at 1st storey only". However, restaurants which are located in shophouses could create parking and traffic problems and adversely affect the amenity of the surrounding residents since most existing shophouses do not have their own caparking provision. As such, proposed restaurants can only be approved if there is sufficient carparking provision in the area. URA has a list of locations where parking is a problem and may face difficulty getting approval. Submissions for the application for change of use can be made at:-
The URA Centre
45 Maxwell Road
Singapore 069118
Alternatively they can be made online using the Change of Use Electronic Submission System.
If the building in which the proposed business is intended to be carried out is listed as URA's eligible buildings and if the change of use proposals comply with a set of lodgment criteria, then you only need to lodge or file the change-of-use proposal with URA. The applicant need not submit a planning application. The list of eligible buildings under the Change of Use Lodgment Scheme is found at the URA's Website. | 