Resident unhappy after Town Council barricades Woodlands void deck to stop kids from playing football

SINGAPORE: The void deck of Block 638 Woodlands Ring Road was closed off by the Sembawang Town Council after youngsters had been playing football there. One resident, however, was unhappy with the Town Council’s decision, saying that he found it ridiculous.

The resident wrote to the sports and entertainment news website The Monitor Singapore (TMSG), which posted a notice from Sembawang Town Council on Thursday (Nov 30) along with a story about the “temporarily barricaded” void deck.

The notice, dated Nov 3, says that the Town Council received feedback concerning school-age children “kicking ball (sic) and shouting while playing, creating noise nuisance at the void deck” of the block. The person who had provided the feedback asked the Town Council to follow up on the issue.

The noise the children made while playing “disturbed the serenity of the black and the surrounding block,” the notice read. While signs had been put up to let people know playing football was not allowed there, and officers from the Town Council and grassroots leaders had spoken to the children, the notice says that they kept playing football.

Because of this, the Town Council decided to partially block off the void deck area, at least temporarily, although the notice did not say when the barricade would be removed. However, the notice added that the area is still available for weddings, funerals, and other functions, for which the barricade would be removed. The Town Council thanked the residents for their understanding and added that it could be contacted in case “any irregularity is observed.”

The resident wrote to TMSG: “It is just boys who are playing football from the school nearby.”

“Does the Town Council and grassroots rather that the boys end up doing things which are illegal instead and end up falling into the wrong company? The boys are just playing football,” he added.

The Independent Singapore has contacted Sembawang Town Council for further comment or update.

“Technically, certain sports are frowned upon when done in the void deck, as you can tell from the red and white signs showing the prohibition of void deck football or rollerblading. However, it’s certainly not uncommon to find people doing so anyway.

Void deck football is one of the most treasured memories that many people have of their childhood, and most people would sooner turn a blind eye to kids kicking a ball around the space. Some of the safer sports to play in the void deck include badminton, table tennis, or scooter riding. Many people also use the space to do a spot of tai chi, or to do their morning exercises,” says one site. /TISG