SINGAPORE: To support arts tenants at Goodman Arts Centre amid the economic uncertainty arising from the Middle East conflict, its operator will defer planned rent rises, Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth Baey Yam Keng said in parliament on Wednesday (Apr 8).

The rental rates for 2027 will be reviewed again by the National Arts Council (NAC) and the centre's operator Arts House Group (AHG) at the end of 2026, he added.

Mr Baey was responding to a question from Member of Parliament Gho Sze Kee (PAP-Mountbatten) who asked what measures are being considered to help tenants cope given that rentals at Goodman Arts Centre were set to "increase significantly".

The Straits Times reported last month that artists renting project studios, which are for short term tenants, had been informed of a 60 per cent rent hike by AHG.

AHG is a public company under the NAC and is a not-for-profit organisation which manages various arts venues.

Mr Baey said AHG had begun to engage arts tenants on a rate increase for "greater sustainability".

He added that Goodman Arts Centre provides a total of 77 units, with short-term venues and longer-term housing options. 

This includes 26 project studios for flexible short-term tenancies of up to a year for artists who have project-specific needs, and 51 units under the Framework for Arts Spaces (FFAS) scheme, which supports arts groups, of up to nine years and is subsidised by NAC at up to 80 per cent.

CNA has reached out to MCCY for clarification on whether the deferment announced by Mr Baey applies to all tenants or only short-term ones.

ENSURING ARTS SPACES REMAIN ACCESSIBLE

The rental rates for the project studios at Goodman Arts Centre were last reviewed in 2012 and AHG has absorbed rising operational costs since then, Mr Baey said.

"In parallel, NAC is studying the sector’s longer-term needs and has been engaging and consulting the arts sector on their spatial needs and affordability of arts spaces," said Mr Baey.

"In planning for the future, NAC will take steps to ensure that arts spaces remain accessible and affordable for artists and arts groups."

Goodman Arts Centre was launched in 2011 as a pilot project under the NAC’s FFAS initiative, meant to improve arts infrastructure as well as support the growth and development of the arts community. 

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