Are you allowed to use your shophouse of choice for its intended purpose? Shophouses are officially zoned for different uses, depending on their location. Some shophouses are zoned residential, with shop units on the first floor and residential units on the upper floors.
Other shophouses are zoned commercial, but like those zoned residential, can also have shops on
the first floor and residences on the upper floors. Bars, food catering businesses and religious activities are among the uses not permitted on the premises of both residential and commercial shophouses. Depending on your intended use for it, you may need to obtain planning permission from the authorities. You can find out more about which activities require planning permission and which do not at the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s (URA) official website