FOR Steam Jet Car Spa Pte Ltd, the need to renew planning permission annually for its car grooming business at a multi-storey car park was a cumbersome affair.
Companies involved in transportation and storage of petroleum and flammable materials also need to renew their licences yearly with Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).
Chia Yeou Cheong, director of Steam Jet Car Spa, explained: 'We already paid an application fee of $800 when we first applied for planning permission. I did not see the rationale for charging an annual renewal fee of $400. I felt that the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) should scrap the practice of requiring annual renewal of planning permission. This requirement increases business costs unnecessarily.'
Mr Chia: The director of Steam Jet Car Spa felt the URA should scrap the practice of requiring annual renewal of planning permission.
Suggestions were submitted to the Pro-Enterprise Panel (PEP), which proposed that government agencies review their permit or licensing renewal processes so as to reduce the time and cost imposed on businesses.
In reviewing the case, URA explained that car parks are essentially meant to serve the car parking needs of residents and businesses.
Car grooming service can only be considered where there are excess carpark lots. Temporary permission was therefore granted on a yearly basis to the company to monitor the activities and ensure that the business did not cause any obstruction to motorists or disturb the surrounding residents.
As Mr Chia's car grooming business had not attracted any complaints, URA granted Mr Chia's request and extended the planning permission for his business by five years.
Similar five-year extension of planning permission would be granted to other car grooming operators after the first year of operation if they do not inconvenience car park users or cause nuisance to residents and businesses.
SCDF, on the other hand, introduced a two-year validity period from Feb 1 2008 for the renewal of transportation and storage licences, on the basis that the extension will not compromise the ability to monitor and keep track of flammable materials used by industries.
Applicants are also given a choice to renew the licences for either one or two years.
The businesses are heartened to learn that the government agencies adopt an open and flexible mindset in applying their rules and regulations. Said Mr Chia : 'For small businesses like ours, any change that reduces business cost is most welcome. We save on the time and effort needed to renew the planning permission. We also save on the annual $400 renewal fee. The savings add up to more than $2,000.'
Businesses that wish to send in their suggestion to PEP on how to cut red tape may do so at www.pep.gov.sg.
The Pro-Enterprise Panel (PEP) was established in 2000 to actively solicit feedback from businesses on how government rules and regulations can be improved to create a more pro-enterprise environment in Singapore. The PEP is chaired by the Head of Civil Service, Peter Ho, and comprises mainly business leaders from the private sector.
