Singapore authorities have introduced guidelines limiting the amount of commercial space that can be used by medical clinics, local daily Straits Times reported on Wednesday.
Under the new cap announced by the Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Ministry of Health, the total floor area for medical clinics within a commercial building cannot exceed 3,000 square meters or 20 percent of the total floor area approved for commercial use.
The changes became effective on Tuesday.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority said it "has received an increasing number of planning applications for new private medical centers within commercial developments." Commercial buildings could therefore run the risk of becoming de facto medical centers, which should be located only on sites zoned for health and medical care use.
A spokesman for the Urban Redevelopment Authority said that "a trend of applications for larger private medical clinics within commercial developments" has emerged recently.
"Such proposals could lead to the conversion of more than 20 percent of commercial space into medical clinics, displacing other important commercial uses such as for shops, eateries and offices, etc, which meet different needs," he was quoted as saying.
The guidelines leave some room for certain exceptions. Existing medical clinics within a commercial development that have already exceeded the cap will also be allowed to remain and not be required to reduce their total floor area.
Operators who wish to set up medical clinics in commercial buildings are now required to submit a planning application to the Urban Redevelopment Authority for evaluation. There will also be measures to help operators setting up clinics in buildings with few existing ones.