A NEW scheme will allow private estates to get more timely small-scale improvements within their public spaces.

The three-year pilot scheme by the Ministry of National Development will look into providing speedier upgrades for items such as footpaths, ramps, lighting, rain shelters, covered linkways and directional signs for private estates.

The $25 million Interim-Estate Upgrading Programme (I-EUP) can reach out to more estates and will complement the current Estate Upgrading Programme (EUP), which focuses more on larger-scale improvements in older estates.

The various Citizens' Consultative Committees (CCCs) can work with residents to identify estate improvement areas and apply for funding under this new scheme.

Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman, Parliamentary Secretary for National Development and chairman for the programme, said: 'Through the I-EUP, we hope to bring some of the benefits of estate upgrading to more residents swiftly, and at the same time, give them more say in the enhancements they prefer to see sooner.'

The current EUP has already benefited about 29,000 private homes.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.