DC26-10 and childcare centres in malls — what changed on 21 August 2026

What changed

• New childcare centres are no longer endorsed by ECDA under the Community/Sports Facilities Scheme.
• Existing CSFS-endorsed childcare centres continue to be supported, as long as the operator's compliance with ECDA stays satisfactory.
• Expansion of an existing CSFS-endorsed centre's premises is not supported.
• An operator seeking to extend a Temporary Permission on an existing centre must get ECDA's support before applying to URA — not the other way round.
• Arts uses are now formally listed as an allowable CSFS community use (previously assessed case-by-case), and now need MCCY/NAC endorsement.

What stayed the same

• The CSFS bonus-GFA cap: 10% of the site's Master Plan-permitted GFA, or 2,000 sqm — whichever is lower.
• The other allowable community uses: disability services, family services, eldercare services, volunteerism programmes, community libraries, and community clubs.
• Sports facility requirements, unchanged from the prior circular.
• Ownership terms: a developer offers the endorsed operator either the strata title of the CSFS space, or a lease with a minimum 10-year tenure and an option to renew.
• The 40%-of-CSFS-space cap on ancillary uses (offices, cafés, gift shops) within the endorsed space.

Who this affects

• Anyone marketing, viewing or buying a commercial unit sited on CSFS bonus-GFA space for a new childcare use — that route is no longer approvable, even if the unit's layout looks like ordinary mall floor area with no visible sign it carries a CSFS condition.
• Owners and operators of an existing CSFS-endorsed centre considering an expansion, or a Temporary Permission extension.
• A buyer valuing an existing CSFS-space childcare centre on a change-of-operator basis — the centre's continuity is conditional on ECDA's ongoing satisfaction, not an automatic transfer.

What to do

• Before shortlisting a unit for a new childcare fit-out, confirm whether it sits on CSFS bonus-GFA space. If it does, a new childcare centre is not an approvable use there under this scheme — a separate, non-CSFS Change-of-Use application on ordinary commercial floor area is a different question, unaffected by this circular.
• For an existing CSFS-endorsed centre changing hands, treat continuity as conditional, and price that risk into any pax-figure valuation the same way a thin licence-tenure history would be discounted.
• Route any Temporary Permission extension for an existing centre through ECDA first, before the URA application.

General information only, not legal or professional advice — always verify the current circular and your specific premises directly with URA and ECDA before signing a lease, committing to fit-out, or advertising a childcare use.

Questions worth asking

Sources & dates

• Guidelines for the Community/Sports Facilities Scheme (URA/PB/2026/10-DCG) — verified 2026-09-02