Planning Act
(Chapter 232, Section 61)
Planning (Use Classes) Rules
R 2
G.N. No. S 371/2001

REVISED EDITION 2007
(1st October 2007)
[1st August 2001]
Citation
1.  These Rules may be cited as the Planning (Use Classes) Rules.
Definitions
2.  In these Rules, unless the context otherwise requires —
“amusement centre”  —
(a)means a building where jackpot machines, pin-ball machines, video game machines or any other similar game machines are provided for entertainment; and
(b)includes a video games arcade, computer gaming centre, billiard saloon or bowling alley;
“bar” or “pub” means 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 without dancing, singing or performance of live music or live entertainment;
“betting outlet” means a building used for the sale of gaming or gambling bets;
“building” includes part of a building;
“business zone related use” means the use of any part of any industrial building or warehouse, approved by the competent authority as such, for a purpose which —
(a)is related to the goods or foodstuff that are manufactured or packed in the industrial building or stored in the warehouse, as the case may be; and
(b)is not ancillary to the approved industrial or warehouse use of the building;
“business zone retail” means the retail of goods or foodstuff —
(a)in an industrial retail building, where such goods or foodstuff, as the case may be, are also manufactured or packed; or
(b)in a warehouse retail building, where such goods or foodstuff, as the case may be, are also stored;
“child care centre” means —
(a)a building that is licensed as a child care centre under section 4 of the Child Care Centres Act (Cap. 37A);
(b)a building used as a centre at which 5 or more school-going children who are between the ages of 7 and 14 years are habitually received for the purposes of care and supervision before or after school hours; or
(c)a kindergarten registered as a kindergarten under section 23 of the Education Act (Cap. 87);
“cinema” means any building used mainly for the screening of cinematograph films;
“commercial school”  —
(a)means a building used for the purpose of teaching, training or imparting knowledge or skill; and
(b)includes a tuition centre, language school, computer school, art school, music school, dance school, acting school, speech and drama school, child development centre or play school,
but does not include a primary school, secondary school, junior college, vocational and technical institution, polytechnic or university;
“community building”  —
(a)means a building used for community-based activities; and
(b)includes an office of an association or a society, a community centre, community club, family service centre or resident’s committee centre,
but does not include a building used as a funeral parlour, welfare home, child care centre, a home for the aged or a home for the disabled;
“confectionery” means a building, with ancillary baking and preparation area, where the primary purpose is the sale of cakes, pastries, bread and sweets by retail for consumption away from the premises;
“convalescent home” or “nursing home” means a building used or intended to be used for the reception and lodging of, and the provision of nursing for, persons suffering or convalescing from any sickness, injury or infirmity, but does not include —
(a)a building used solely for the reception, lodging and care of dying or terminally ill persons; or
(b)a hospital;
“existing use” means the use to which a building was put on 1st February 1960 or a use authorised or permitted under the Act or the repealed Act;
“general industrial building”  —
(a)means an industrial building other than a light industrial building or special industrial building; and
(b)includes a building used for any industrial use which is classified as “general industry” by the Director-General of Environmental Protection;
“health centre”  —
(a)means a building used for physical exercise and fitness activities; and
(b)includes a building used as a fitness centre, gymnasium, massage establishment and spa;
“home for the aged” or “home for the disabled” means a building used for the reception, lodging and care of old or disabled persons, as the case may be, but does not include —
(a)a convalescent home or nursing home; or
(b)a building used solely for the reception and care of dying or terminally ill persons;
“industrial building” means any building used —
(a)for manufacturing, altering, repairing, ornamenting, finishing, cleaning, washing, packing, canning, adapting, breaking up or demolishing any article or part thereof; or
(b)for the getting, processing or treatment of minerals,
but does not include a building used as a laundry or an industrial retail building;
“industrial retail building” means any building used for the manufacturing or packing of goods or foodstuff and the retail of such goods or foodstuff, as the case may be;
“light industrial building”  —
(a)means an industrial building in which the processes carried on or the machinery installed are such as can be installed in any residential area without detriment to the amenity of the area by reason of noise, vibration, smell, fumes, smoke, soot, ash, dust or grit; and
(b)includes a building used for any industrial use which is classified as “light industry” by the Director-General of Environmental Protection;
“motor vehicle showroom”  —
(a)means a building used for the display and sale of new or used motor vehicles; and
(b)includes a building used as a car mart, car-trading office, motor vehicle rental office or motor vehicle trading office;
“nightclub”  —
(a)means a building used for the carrying on of any trade or business where the primary purpose is the sale of alcoholic drinks (with or without the sale of foodstuff) for consumption on the premises with singing, dancing or performance of live music or live entertainment; and
(b)includes a building used as a karaoke lounge or discotheque;
“office”  —
(a)means a building used as a place of business and for conducting administrative work; and
(b)includes a bank,
but does not include a shop;
“pet shop” means a building used for the sale of live animals or birds normally kept as domestic pets and includes a building used as a veterinary clinic or for domestic pet grooming service, but does not include a building or an aquarium used for the sale of ornamental fish;
[S 335/2009 wef 20/07/2009]
“restaurant”  —
(a)means a building used for the carrying on of any trade or business where the primary purpose is the sale of foodstuff for consumption on the premises without performance of live music or live entertainment; and
(b)includes a coffee shop, eating house, snack bar, cafeteria or foodcourt,
but does not include a canteen, bar or pub;
“shop”  —
(a)means a building used for the carrying on of any trade or business where the primary purpose is the sale of goods or foodstuff by retail or the provision of services; and
(b)includes a building used as a furniture shop, department store, pawnshop, dispensary, medical clinic, dental clinic, beauty salon, ticket agency, travel agency, confectionery or take-away foodshop,
but does not include —
(i)a building used for the carrying on of any trade or business where the primary purpose is the preparation of food for sale by distribution or catering and the food is for consumption away from the premises;
(ii)a building used for the primary purpose of storage or wholesale of goods or foodstuff;
(iii)a building used for the sale of coffins, sale of motor vehicles parts and accessories or repair and servicing of motor vehicles;
(iv)a building used as a petrol station, laundry shop, dry cleaner’s shop, funfair, market, nightclub, bar, pet shop, showroom, motor vehicle showroom, amusement centre, health centre, betting outlet or an office; or
(v)any part of an industrial retail building or a warehouse retail building used for business zone retail;
[S 335/2009 wef 20/07/2009]
“showroom” means a building used for the display of goods with no retail sales, and does not include a shop or motor vehicle showroom;
“special industrial building”  —
(a)means an industrial building in which the processes carried on are dangerous or offensive; and
(b)includes a building used for any industrial use which is classified as “special industry” by the Director-General of Environmental Protection;
“sports and recreation building”  —
(a)means a building used for sports and recreational activities; and
(b)includes a building used as a sports club, sports complex, recreation club, clubhouse, fitness centre or gymnasium;
“take-away foodshop” means a building used for the carrying on of trade or business where the primary purpose is the sale by retail of food or drinks for consumption away from the premises only and without any provision for consumption of food or drinks within the premises, and may include ancillary food preparation area;
[S 335/2009 wef 20/07/2009]
“theatre” means a building where live theatrical performances, including plays, operas and music are performed, but does not include a building used as a nightclub or cinema;
“warehouse” means a building (excluding any land occupied therewith) where storage is the principal use and where no business is transacted other than incidentally to such storage, but does not include a warehouse retail building;
“warehouse retail building” means any building used for the storage of goods or foodstuff and the retail of such goods or foodstuff, as the case may be.
Use classes
3.—(1)  Subject to paragraph (2), where a building or land has an existing use falling within any class specified in the Schedule, the change in use of the building or land for any other purposes of the same class shall not be deemed for the purpose of Part III of the Act to involve development of the building or land.
(2)  Paragraph (1) shall not apply to a change in use of a building or land for any other purposes of the same class in the following circumstances:
(a)the change in use is expressly not allowed by the competent authority in the written permission for the existing use granted under the Act or the repealed Act; or
(b)the existing use is a business zone related use.
(3)  A use which is ordinarily incidental to and included in any use specified in the Schedule is not excluded from that use as an incident thereto merely by reason of its specification in the Schedule as a separate use.
[G.N. Nos. S 371/2001; S 379/2002; S 655/2004; S 478/2006]