On the rooftop of the multi-storey carpark on Block 12A Dover Close, a concrete expanse once reserved for visitor parking lots has blossomed into a thriving community garden.
Today, rows of lush vegetation fill 88 flourishing plots each with a two-year tenure, boast a 100 per cent take-up rate and a waiting list that continues to grow.
Mr Biju George, 56, and Mr Edmund Kuek, 45, come from vastly different worlds – one is an Indian shipping professional while the other is a Chinese aerospace engineer.
But as Chairman and Secretary of the Dover Road Residents’ Network, they channeled a shared belief in their neighborhood to turn a concrete deck into a green sanctuary, building a lasting friendship and a genuine space for cross-cultural connection along the way.
Zero Green Fingers
For Mr Biju and Mr Kuek, stepping onto the rooftop early in 2025 meant entering completely uncharted territory.
“We knew nothing about managing a garden,” Mr Kuek said. “We are all experts in our own fields but we don’t have green fingers.”.
Balancing demanding professional lives with intense community work, the duo plunged into a gruelling six-month preparatory phase filled with flyer drops to every household, void deck meetings, and Zoom calls that stretched deep into the night.
The early days were met with significant skepticism from a neighbourhood that was used to staying indoors.
Residents worried about the blistering heat, questioned how water could be brought up from downstairs, and lamented the loss of visitor carpark lots and subsequent HDB revenue.
“For anything - you will have somebody saying, this is not possible,’” Mr Biju recalls.
Yet, the pair pushed forward, driven by a shared belief in the project’s long-term value to the neighborhood.
The ultimate test of community resilience came when a wild hornbill swooped into the garden and began eating the residents’ hard-earned harvest.
While a few residents initially worried and even suggested installing CCTVs, the rooftop deliberately has no surveillance cameras due to the outdoor setting and financial constraints. Instead, the garden relies entirely on absolute trust placed among neighbors.
Rather than reacting with frustration, the gardeners responded with professionalism and mutual respect.
They ultimately embraced the wildlife, sharing the perspective that in an open-top rooftop environment, birds and other animals are a quintessential part of the ecosystem.
Today, the hornbills still visit frequently, and the residents are happy to share their space.
Erasing the HDB and Condo Divide
When the garden officially opened in April 2026, it did something rare for local community green spaces: it broke down the invisible barriers separating HDB heartlanders, condominium residents, and local expatriates as the plots were also open to the latter.
The integration initially faced friction, with some HDB residents questioning why condo residents and expats should be allowed into HDB-managed spaces.
However, Mr Biju and Mr Kuek stood firm on keeping the space public and inclusive. To ensure that no one felt left behind, Mr Edmund spoke in Mandarin to help Chinese-speaking residents feel deeply welcomed and included in the growing circle.
Today, the garden integrates a tapestry of cultures, bringing together local families alongside expatriates from countries like South Africa. The concrete rooftop has transformed from an isolated zone into a communal bridge where neighbours naturally cross paths.
Cultivating more than crops
The true harvest of their labor was on full display in April this year during a massive community potluck.
The core idea was simple: gardeners harvested fresh produce directly from their own plots to share at a communal table. Gardeners and their families gathered to share stories and exchange home-cooked dishes, curating a feast of racial and cultural harmony. Tables groaned under a diverse spread ranging from traditional Indian vegetarian meals to Thai, Vietnamese, and even homemade Irish food.
Beyond the sharing of melons, sweet potatoes harvested from the plots, and gardening tips, the garden’s success also lies in how it has broken decades of social isolation.
Mr Biju highlights a family living in the block who had lived there for 28 years without ever speaking to their neighbors, but became active friends with fellow residents through the shared gardening plots. Lonely seniors find a warm community of support, and children have actively abandoned random YouTube videos to look up gardening tips instead.
What began as an underutilised carpark roof has now become the heartbeat of Dover, serving as a central gathering point for residents of various races, ages, and backgrounds. Rather than measuring success purely through logistics, the pair views the growing social bonds as the project’s primary success.
As Mr Edmund reflected on the journey, he shared, “We feel that what we are doing here serves a purpose. The willingness to serve is the main push factor behind every one of us, and more rewarding things will come because this is only our first year.
