BUKIT Merah Town Centre is no longer a ghost town.

Ask Ms Florence Chan who used to park her car at the third level of the multi-storey carpark there.

These days, she can find a vacant lot only at level nine.

The administrator of Covenant Evangelical Free Church, which has its offices in Connection ONE, says it is just one indication that good times have returned to the area.

Come lunchtime, hordes of office workers pour out from the five buildings of Connection ONE, formerly known as the HDB Centre, and head for the eateries nearby.

It is a far cry from the situation two years ago when one third of the 764,000-sq-ft office space sat empty.

It was even worse in 2002. That was when the HDB relocated its headquarters to its current premises in Toa Payoh.

This relocation was a big blow to the food eateries and other retail businesses in Bukit Merah which had profited from the big number of people who visited the HDB Centre daily.

The HDB initially could not find enough tenants to fill up all the space it vacated. Its spun-off building consultancy Surbana Corporation, previously called HDB Corporation, moved back in 2003.

Fast-forward to 2008 and it's a different story.

HDB said the complex was fully let out from September last year. The tenants include hospital groups, private schools, a church group and a betting centre.

The HDB believes the competitive rental rate is one of the factors. 'In fact, we still receive many enquiries for office space,' said a spokesman.

Read the full story in tomorrow's edition of The Straits Times.