BT : Mustafa Warehouse closes doors to shoppers‏

Business Times - 11 Nov 2009


Mustafa Warehouse closes doors to shoppers

URA case against company due for mention in court today

THE shutters finally came down at Mustafa Warehouse in Kallang Pudding Road yesterday afternoon after the company was slapped with a writ of summons last Thursday by Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) for unauthorised use of the warehouse building.

The case against the building's owner, Mohamed Mustafa & Samsuddin Co Pte Ltd, is due to be mentioned in the Subordinate Courts today.

The six-storey building is approved for warehouse use but for the past four weeks or so, a department store has been operating on the first level and a supermarket on level two. Commercial activities like these are not permitted in warehouse developments. The building's upper levels are used as a warehouse.

Yesterday afternoon, around 2pm, customers shopping in the facility were told to leave, after which staff started to close the shutters on the first two levels, BT understands. Customers were told to shop at Mustafa Centre in Little India instead.

Last week, when URA served the writ of summons to Mustafa, a URA spokeswoman said that approval to use the premises as a warehouse was given in 2001. Its owner subsequently submitted an application in 2004 to change the building's use to a wholesale centre for household goods and appliances.

'The application was not approved and URA advised the owner that the proposed wholesale centre use involves sale of products and is considered commercial use, which is not allowed in a warehouse development. URA recently received feedback regarding the unauthorised commercial activities,' URA's spokeswoman said last Thursday.

If found guilty, Mustafa could be fined up to $200,000 for the breach, which is classified as a planning offence under the Planning Act.