http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_764684.html
Some Toh Yi residents object, following Woodlands case last week
By Janice Tai
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Another group of Housing Board residents are objecting to plans to build elder-friendly facilities in their estate, following a similar case in Woodlands last week.
Residents of Toh Yi estate in Bukit Timah said HDB’s plans to build studio apartments for the elderly will ‘rob’ them of their common space and the estate’s main recreational facility.
A handful of the residents also likened the apartments to ‘death houses’ for the elderly to wait out their last days.
The apartments will probably be housed in one block. It will be sited on a plot of land at the junction of Toh Yi Road and Toh Yi Drive.
This site is currently occupied by a basketball court, jogging track and a small garden.
On Wednesday, the residents submitted a petition with some 230 signatures to their MP, Ms Sim Ann.
Residents who signed the petition include those from the 19 HDB blocks in the area, as well as those living in the private landed estate opposite, and a nearby condominium.
Last night, HDB officials held a closed-door meeting with more than 100 residents to address their concerns.
But some left halfway through the meeting, which lasted more than two hours, upset that HDB officials could not give them a satisfactory reply.
This episode comes just days after a group of residents in Woodlands protested against plans to build an elder day-care centre at the void decks of their HDB blocks.
They cited reasons such as the loss of communal space and how such a centre may mean more deaths in the estate.
HDB first announced plans to build 130 studio apartments in Toh Yi last
month, as part of its build-to-order launch next month.
The apartments will be fitted with features such as grab bars and anti-slip tiles. Only those aged 55 and older can apply for them.
But some Toh Yi residents said such units would be built at their expense as the basketball court, track and garden would have to go.
Businessman Ricky Goh Chok Chai, 58, who initiated the petition, said: ‘It’s the only sizeable leisure amenity we have. Both young and old gather here and they use it every day.’
Some argued that the chosen site, which sits on top of a slope, would be inconvenient for elderly residents, who would have to walk down the slope to coffee shops and the market.
Others, like quality engineer Heng Seoh Gek, 50, said they were upset that they were not consulted.
A handful admitted that they were uncomfortable with the idea of apartments meant for the old.
Said retiree Loh Tiam Chye, 66: ‘Those old people are living there alone. It’s almost as if they are sent there to just wait to die. I wouldn’t want to live in such an atmosphere.’
HDB said the site was zoned for residential use in the 2008 Master Plan, and was leased to the area’s Citizens’ Consultative Committee for ‘interim recreational use’.
An HDB spokesman added that the plot of land is the only vacant site available in the estate for building studio apartments.
An HDB official said the block will have a playground and exercise corner on its second floor, and this will be open to all residents in the estate.
Ms Sim, an MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, said she is working with HDB to ensure that the residents’ feedback is ‘duly addressed’.
She told The Straits Times: ‘From a broader perspective, it makes sense to introduce studio apartments in this area. We do have ageing residents.’
But she also noted that because the estate is densely built-up, ‘every existing amenity is precious to our residents’.
The town council spent $120,000 to build the jogging track and garden last year, not knowing the land would be redeveloped so soon, she said.
She added: ‘I fully understand why some residents may be reluctant to see these go – in fact, having invested effort and resources in the site, we in the grassroots feel exactly the same way.’
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Last night was especially busy (see previous status update). Certainly, some of our residents have been vocal. But I could not believe my eyes when I read in the Straits Times this morning that some of our residents likened studio apartments for the elderly to “death houses”. We even called up the journalist to double-check that this was said and heard. As MP, I am committed to represent our residents and will continue to do so. But I cannot support comments like this. Let’s keep our tone civil and maintain respect for our elderly.
disheartened to read that yet another group of people – this time in Toh Yi – are objecting to plans to build studio apartments for the elderly in their neighbourhood. In Tampines Changkat, I welcomed it and worked with grassroots leaders and residents to help make sure they understand the benefits. Had a frank closed-door dialogue with them before the development was announced publicly. The construction is coming along nicely, and the flats are very popular, especially among our seniors themselves who want to live near their children in Tampines.
SG Hard Truth 