Can a conserved shophouse be converted to a hostel or co-living use?
Check early, because two regimes apply. URA decides whether the use is allowed under the Master Plan and its conservation area guidelines, through a change-of-use application if needed. Separately, Fire Code clause 9.9 states that buildings within its scope, which are timber-floored or timber-staircased conservation buildings and pre-1969 buildings, may not be changed to public accommodation uses, giving boarding houses, hotels and workers' quarters as examples. A Qualified Person should assess both before you sign a lease.
From the RRD Field Guide, checked against the sources cited in A&A Works to Conserved Shophouses in Singapore: URA's 3R Rules, Permits and Fire Safety. General information, not advice for your project.
The fuller picture
Any work to a conserved shophouse needs URA Conservation Permission before it starts, even repainting. URA's rule is maximum Retention, sensitive Restoration and careful Repair: the roof, party walls, front façade, five-foot way and (in historic districts) timber floors must be kept. Rear extensions and roof mezzanines are allowed only within set limits, and Fire Code clause 9.9 governs timber floors and stairs.
More questions on this topic
- Do I need URA approval to repaint a conserved shophouse?
- Which parts of a conserved shophouse must be kept?
- Can I build a rear extension to a conserved shophouse?
- Can I add an attic to a shophouse?
- What happened at 32 Desker Road?
- Does SCDF allow timber floors and staircases to stay?
- Can a contractor do conservation works without an architect?