No. 61 Lor N, a newly constructed park
Last weekend in our weekly house visits, I came a park with a regular house address, No. 61 Lorong N, Telok Kurau.
It was a beautiful park, with the address displayed brightly at the entrance. There are many parks in Telok Kurau and in Singapore, but that was the first that I have come across with a regular address.
According to residents in the neighbourhood, this park was completed at the end of last year, around half a year ago. Indeed, I checked online and found that a government tender was called in mid 2012 for the construction of this park. A neighbour said the place was abandoned for at least 2 decades and was a burnt out structure. Another said it used to store “木炭” (charcoal). They think that there could have been some uncertainty over the ownership of the land and hence after a certain number of years of abandonment without any legal claims to the premises, the land could have now been possessed by the government. In any case, residents now have a brand new park in their neighbourhood. One said it was quite well used, with many walking their pets there.
Another view of 61 Lor N Park
Residents immediately around this park were lucky. They have a brand new open and landscaped space in front of or beside them. Lorongs N and M which I had visited last week were packed with construction sites. Some were huge low-rise condominium developments which residents said will have many shoe-box (small-sized) apartments. When completed and when residents have fully moved in, there will be a lot more congestion to a previously quiet neighbourhood.
Indeed, Telok Kurau where I had once stayed in, is not quite the same as before. From Lorongs G to N (Telok Kurau streets start from G and end in N), many compact walk-up apartments and condominiums have cropped up over the last decade. Spacious bungalows and semi-detached houses have been torn down and turned into dense housing. This has caused parking problems on the roads and prompted the government to finally impose new rules to prevent crammed housing.
Construction site on Lor N
A soon-to-be-completed apartment
In the meanwhile, while many previously approved sites are being furiously constructed, residents have complained of mosquitoes, dengue, dust, noise and even cracks in their houses. Near many of the construction site, some drains have become clogged up. An unlucky resident whose three sides (back and immediate two neighbours) are being built into dense apartments complained of cracks and sunken ground, and the lack of help provided after chasing authorities and the developers. I dispensed some advice on what she could do and I hope she will get a satisfactory response to her woes.
Clogged up drain
A relatively large 200-plus units housing project that stretches from Lorong N to Lorong M
Joo Chiat Today 