Riverside dining to go

SINGAPORE - Romantic meals right at the edge of the Singapore River will soon become a thing of the past at Robertson Quay and Clarke Quay, when new rules on outdoor refreshment areas kick in this week.

Under new guidelines from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), diners' tables cannot be placed right by the riverside. The aim, it said, is to "free up the riverfront for public access".

The new rules are effective immediately, but the URA said it would give operators "sufficient time" to clear the riverside tables.

Other key changes in the revised guidelines include the elimination of riverside outdoor kiosks - small, free-standing structures such as newspaper stands.