Tiong Bahru resident Jasmine Chin, 59, got a shock last weekend when she noticed that the exterior of one storey in her Housing Board block was painted several shades of purple – a stark contrast to the rest of the building, which is off-white.
The part-time cleaner, who has lived at Block 9A Boon Tiong Road for 10 years, said one of the purple shades – a dark plum – was “unacceptable”.
“I want our estate to look bright and inviting. If every block here is painted that dark colour from top to bottom, it will look gaudy,” said Madam Chin.
“Why weren’t residents allowed to vote for the colours?”
She is among eight residents in Blocks 9A and 9B Boon Tiong Road who said that they wish they had a say in choosing the buildings’ colour scheme. They said they hope the town council can veto the purple colour palette and let residents vote on their preferred shade.
On May 13, the paint job appeared to be completed for one block, 2A Boon Tiong Road, which sported shades of lilac. Another 11 blocks in Boon Tiong Road were set to undergo repainting, with gondolas set up and some external portions painted purple.
The notice boards at the lift landings did not have notices indicating any painting work or voting results.
On May 13, at blocks 9A and 9B, a sign pasted at the lift lobbies said: “Our blocks of flats (are) about to be painted in the most saturated and awful purple.” The message urged residents to contact their newly elected MP Foo Cexiang or Tanjong Pagar Town Council.
Mr Foo, who oversees the Tanjong Pagar-Tiong Bahru division of Tanjong Pagar GRC, said in a Facebook post on May 10 that he had asked the town council to pause the work and was looking into the situation “to understand the context and also plan the steps ahead”. His response was also put up next to the residents’ sign.
The Straits Times
