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Thread: Eight private estates to get upgrading

  1. #1
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    Default Eight private estates to get upgrading

    http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/prem...ading-20121227

    Published December 27, 2012

    Eight private estates to get upgrading

    7,000 households to benefit from $29m EUP exercise to be completed in 3-4 yrs

    By zeinab yusuf saiwalla


    MORE than 7,000 households are set to benefit from a $29 million facelift under the government's Estate Upgrading Programme (EUP). The properties, spread across eight private estates, will see the money spent on the upgrading of parks, playgrounds and widening of footpaths.

    The Ministry of National Development (MND) announced yesterday that Goldhill, Mayflower Gardens and Yio Chu Kang Gardens, Cashew and Hazel Park Terrace, Greenleaf, Bartley Neighbourhood, Carmichael, Haig Road and Limau estates have been selected to benefit from the eighth EUP.

    These older private estates are expected to benefit from the improved facilities when work will be completed in three to four years.

    "There is high demand for upgrading and improvement works from private estates. When selecting a site for upgrading, we consider the age and physical condition of the estate, and scope for improvement," said Mohamad Maliki Osman, chairman of the EUP committee, and Senior Parliamentary Secretary for National Development.

    Over the years, the EUP has seen the creation of parks, playgrounds and fitness corners to provide the community with a variety of recreational and fitness facilities.

    Since its inception in 2000, the MND has spent $138 million in upgrading 46 private estates, comprising more than 34,000 households, in its seven previous batches. These include Serangoon Gardens, Hoover Park, Opera Estate and Hillview Estate.

    Hillview Estate, which completed its facelift in July 2010, now boasts renovated playgrounds, covered drainage, a proper bus stop, a games court and four parks, including a community garden where residents cultivate plants.

    The last EUP was administered in 2010 and saw 5,000 private households benefit from a $21 million facelift.

    To complement the EUP, MND launched a pilot Interim-Estate Upgrading Programme (I-EUP) in June 2009 as a means for residents in estates not selected for EUP to receive small-scale improvements.

    With a budget of $25 million, the I-EUP has enabled citizens' consultative committees (CCCs) to propose improvements based on consultation with residents. These include facilities such as ramps, rain shelters, drop-off points and covered linkways, to enhance their environment.

  2. #2
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    Default Private estate upgrading: Here's residents' wish list

    http://www.straitstimes.com/archive/...-list-20121229

    Private estate upgrading: Here's residents' wish list

    Those living in selected estates want improved drains, sheltered walkways

    Published on Dec 29, 2012

    By Melody Zaccheus, Melissa Pang And Leslie Kay Lim


    RESIDENTS living in some of Singapore's older private estates can breathe a sigh of relief.

    Their biggest bugbears - including uncovered, moss-riddled drains and dangerous pathways - may soon be gone.

    They have suggested to The Straits Times a "wish list" of improvements after the Ministry of National Development (MND) announced on Wednesday that it will spend $29 million on eight areas under the Estate Upgrading Programme (EUP).

    Residents at Goldhill, Mayflower Gardens and Yio Chu Kang Gardens, Cashew and Hazel Park Terrace, Greenleaf, Bartley, Carmichael, Haig Road and the Limau neighbourhood said the upgrading is long overdue.

    The MND selected each estate based on its age, physical condition and scope for improvement.

    Ms Manjit Kour, 61, said the drains outside her home at Bartley Neighbourhood look like they are from the 1920s. "Everyone has upgraded their homes but the infrastructure outside hasn't kept up."

    The retired corporate communications executive added that stagnant water in drains makes them prime breeding ground for mosquitoes.

    Greenleaf residents are looking forward to the drains being covered so that they have a wider pavement and can avoid having to step onto the roads - sometimes in heavy traffic. The pavements, which are cracked at various spots, also need repair.

    Chinese teacher Ivy Lee, 57, who lives in Yio Chu Kang Gardens, said the walkways there are very dangerous. "I've seen a lot of children fall and get injured badly on the gravel outside my house. I often have to run out and help them. Even adults can trip because of the uneven pavements."

    An MND spokesman said that, in the past, EUP works have typically included accessibility ramps, wider footpaths, new green spaces, sheltered walkways, playground equipment, hard courts and basketball courts in parks.

    It does not cover work on private land and facilities, including common areas in condominiums and private apartments.

    The Straits Times spoke to about 50 residents of the selected estates and most of them gave suggestions for improvement. They include building elder-friendly overhead bridges at Goldhill, a sheltered walkway at Yio Chu Kang Gardens and a basketball court at Mayflower Gardens.

    But the scope of the upgrading works for any specific estate depends on budget and whether the works proposed are feasible after taking into account factors such as site constraints.

    Retiree Shirley Fleury, 70, who lives at Goldhill Drive, said the estate - which is about 40 years old - is in dire need of an underpass with escalators or an overhead bridge with a lift.

    She said: "Most who live here are getting on in age and we have trouble getting around."

    Madam Fleury said she has to climb up and down 90 steps every time she crosses the bridge to go to the market or church.

    Others are more content.

    Auditor Meichele Cheok, 40, who lives with her husband and three children at Carmichael Road, said: "We are quite happy. We have a small park to ourselves and it's close to the city."

    The MND spokesman said an EUP working committee will be formed in each of the selected estates and carry out surveys and meetings with residents to come up with proposals.

    But residents can give feedback to their committee at any time, the MND's spokesman stressed. It will then work closely with a team in charge of implementing the upgrading works to ensure they are on schedule.

    This latest upgrading will benefit about 7,000 households and is the eighth since the EUP was launched in 2000.

    The past seven projects - costing about $138 million in total - have benefited more than 34,000 households in 46 private estates.

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