Ang Mo Kio HDB gazebo benches removed after noise complaints, residents question town council

SINGAPORE: There are residents who enjoy the company of each other in the comfort of their area, just like the public gazebo in an HDB block. However, this has not been the case for some of the residents in Ang Mo Kio who complained that the chairs in this public space have been removed for unknown reasons, losing a place for relaxation.

A 68-year-old resident told Shin Min Daily News that initially, the gazebo downstairs of their HDB block had four benches installed for residents’ use. With this, he claimed: “There used to be benches for the elderly to relax on, but I don’t know why they were suddenly moved away. We’ve lost a place to chat. We used to come down here every day.” 

Another resident, a 73-year-old who lived in the nearby HDB flat for 45 years, said that he saw workers dismantling the benches under the gazebo one morning. 

“I saw two or three workers come over, so I went downstairs to ask if they wanted to replace the benches. They said no, and then I watched them move the benches to the badminton court across the street,” the resident remarked. 

When reporters visited the area, they noticed that aside from scattered benches near the gazebo, there were signs requesting the residents to lower their noise levels between 10:30 p.m and 7:00 a.m to avoid disturbing other residents. 

According to the town council, they have received noise complaints from residents that there were people who gathered at the pavilion and have been causing noise disturbances between midnight and 3:00 a.m. 

To address this, a spokesperson claimed that after receiving feedback, the town council temporarily moved the benches from the pavilion to the badminton court nearby. 

“We understand that residents have cherished these public facilities over the years and appreciate their feedback. The town council will continue to monitor the situation and assess the effectiveness of this temporary measure,” the spokesperson admitted. 

Additionally, the town council reminded residents to be considerate when using public spaces to respect the resting time of other residents. 

In other news related to Singapore incidents, there was a report where a recycling bin at a car park along Hougang Avenue 5 caught fire, with residents suspecting that a carelessly discarded cigarette butt sparked the blaze. 

With this, residents called for stronger measures to prevent similar incidents from happening again.

Read more about the news story here.