How do I change the use of my JTC industrial property?

What JTC checks

JTC’s page sets two conditions. The new use must be compatible with the surrounding industries, and it must not breach URA’s 60:40 space usage regulation, which JTC explains as at least 60% of your premises still being used for industrial purposes.

URA’s allowable-use pages for Business 1 and Business 2 zones, both updated 6 June 2026, allow up to 40% for ancillary uses such as ancillary offices, meeting rooms, showrooms and industrial canteens. Showrooms face extra limits: URA considers one only in a change-of-use application made once the building has its Temporary Occupation Permit and the end-user is known, and only on the first storey. A showroom should mainly display goods not usually sold over the counter, such as bulky items, or products mostly installed off-site.

JTC also publishes a separate document, Usage Guidelines for JTC Premises, listed on its tenancy and lease forms page in a 2024 edition. It is worth reading before the proposed use is settled.

Applying to JTC

Applications go through JTC’s Customer Service Portal, and the processing fee of $599.50 or $1,199 (including GST) is temporarily waived online. JTC advises applicants not to commit to any tenancy or renovation works before receiving its decision.

1. Settle the use Describe the new activity precisely and check that the layout keeps at least 60% in industrial use.
2. Obtain the clearances JTC lists clearances from NEA’s Development Control and Licensing Department and, where relevant, an LTA land use proposal form for warehousing, a significant increase in traffic or a new or intensified factory-converted dormitory, and SCDF approval where petroleum or flammable material above the allowed quantities will be stored.
3. Submit and await the outcome JTC says applicants hear the outcome within 10 working days of submission, by portal notice, SMS and email.
4. Complete any site assessment If the application is approved, JTC may require an Environmental Site Assessment within 4 months.

Where NEA comes in

NEA’s Industrial Siting Consultation is the route for new industrial developments and new industrial activities or processes at industrial premises. NEA says it is not required for non-industrial uses in industrial premises, such as childcare, student care, farming or office, but it also states that childcare and student care centres are strictly prohibited on Business 2 land.

Submissions go through NEA’s Environment Protection Management System (EPMS), with details such as a process flowchart, materials, and pollution control and fuel-burning equipment. NEA processes them within 7 working days of complete and accurate information, longer if other agencies or a site survey are involved, and charges no fee at present.

Where URA comes in

URA says development and building works, including a change in how premises are used, need planning permission unless they are on its Exemption List or its list of authorised works. For premises leased from JTC, its change-of-use application needs JTC’s letter of consent as landowner.

An application can be made through GoBusiness by the business owner, the landlord, a consultant or a Qualified Person. URA charges a $500 processing fee and generally takes 10 working days to assess, and its URA SPACE service shows the allowable and last approved uses of selected industrial properties.

The order in which approvals come

No single official page sets out the order, but read together they imply one: JTC wants the agency clearances with its application, and URA wants JTC’s consent with its own.

• Agency clearances: NEA, and LTA or SCDF where relevant.
• JTC: decision within 10 working days of submission.
• URA: planning permission where needed, with JTC’s consent letter.
• After JTC’s approval: any Environmental Site Assessment required, within 4 months.