An MP has proposed limiting access to Housing Board rooftop gardens in order to reduce the inconvenience and nuisance caused by visitors.
Ms. Joan Pereira (Tanjong Pagar GRC) stated in her adjournment motion on Tuesday that residents in her Henderson-Dawson ward had witnessed dirty elevators, overflowing trash cans, littering, illegal smoking, and loud parties as a result of inconsiderate visitors to the rooftop gardens there.
"Weekend tourists also use these gardens late at night, disrupting the slumber of nearby neighbors. The sky gardens are cluttered with discarded cigarette butts and empty alcohol bottles in the morning," Ms. Pereira said, adding that these items generate additional expenditures for the town council.
When questioned, she stated that the occurrences occurred on the 47th-floor rooftop garden of SkyVille@Dawson.
She emphasized in her address that the popular rooftop patio on the 50th floor of Pinnacle@Duxton is "much more orderly."
She said that non-residents must register and pay $6 to reach the rooftop via a turnstile gantry, and daily visitor numbers are limited to 200.
In the early days of the Covid-19 outbreak, access to the rooftop patio was restricted.
She called for similar preventive measures to guarantee the smooth administration of public access to the other HDB sky gardens in Singapore.
Ms. Pereira noted that her volunteers have patrolled the sky gardens after 10 p.m. for over two years to warn tourists to go since residents need to rest.
"They are burnt out. Expecting them to check these gardens every day is not only time-consuming, but also unfeasible, she added, noting that the problem occurs on weekends and holidays.
Ms. Pereira stated that in recent years, the HDB, the town council, the citizens' committees, the National Environment Agency, the police, and other government agencies have taken a number of initiatives to minimize the disamenities.
"Our existing measures are inadequate and ineffective. "I'm hoping we can go on and explore new approaches," she remarked. "I and my residents are cognizant that these are public areas. However, public access does not grant permission to conduct improperly and irresponsibly.
Senior Minister of State for National Development Sim Ann said that the HDB cannot treat rooftop gardens as exclusive enclosed spaces. However, she acknowledged the congestion homeowners face in elevators and elevator lobbies when visitors are present.
"What we can do is support the town council and the local community in indicating to tourists that sky gardens, although being exposed to nature, are residential facilities and not domestic tourist attractions," she explained.
She stated that the HDB has been collaborating with town councils and several government organizations to adopt efforts to rectify the deficiencies.
In 2016, the SkyVille SkyTerrace Taskforce was established to handle crowds at the rooftop gardens on the eve of special events. Ms. Sim noted that the task force increased monitoring and control by increasing patrols, particularly on Friday and Saturday evenings, in response to resident criticism concerning the larger-than-anticipated crowd at SkyVille on New Year's Eve 2020. Additionally, additional signs and closed-circuit television cameras were placed.
Since New Year's Eve 2021, the sky gardens are closed every night at 10pm. Ms. Sim stated, "Although the situation on the ground appears to have stabilized, we concur with the necessity for ongoing surveillance and vigilance through the deployment of signage and CCTV cameras to warn people and dissuade inappropriate behavior."
She stated that the Pinnacle@Duxton rooftop terrace was an anomaly owing to the development's central position, its iconic status as the highest HDB residential building, and the uniqueness of its panoramic city views.
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