HDB will introduce longer rent-free periods for coffee shops and supermarkets, along with bus services that start when residents collect their keys, as it seeks to reduce the inconvenience of those who move into new large-scale BTO estates. This was announced by Senior Minister of State for National Development Sun Xueling during her ministry’s budget debate in Parliament on Wednesday (March 4).She said a multi-agency committee, led by the Ministry of National Development (MND) and HDB, identified five areas to support residents moving into new large-scale BTO estates of more than 3,000 flats.These are: access to transport, cooked food and groceries, childcare services, sheltered linkedways and waste-management.Set up in mid-2024, the BTO Coordination Committee includes the Land Transport Authority, the National Environment Agency, the Early Childhood Development Agency, the Infocomm Media Development Authority and the People’s Association.«Every estate is different and there can be project-specific issues that cause some variation,» said SMS Sun. Read more