There are four low-rise blocks of public housing along East Coast Road. Built in 1962, these flats, almost half a century old, are not more than five storeys high.
Block 1 to 3 are owned by the residents, whereas Block 4 is a block made up of rental units. All the blocks are without lifts, and consist of two-bedroom units.
The region around East Coast Road is considered a prime area as it is largely made up of private housings and condominiums. These four blocks of flats are the only public housing here, with the nearest public estates of Marine Parade and Bedok more than 1km away. Thus it is inevitable that this small aging neigbourhood, with mostly elderly residents, will be selected for the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS).
Many residents have made this quiet neighbourhood their homes for decades, and have expressed reluctance to move. However, they are expected to shift out before 2015 to their new replacement flats at Chai Chee Road.
The nine rental shops and an eatery at this small estate will also be affected by the SERS program. One of the shops, a traditional barber shop, has been operating here for 42 years. With declining business and poor health, the 61-year-old barber is considering retirement in another three years’ time when the estate is due for demolition.
Published: 28 November 2011
i used to play around this location as my dad owned a shop there previously.. sold it to a couple of doctors who are using it as a clinic.. “siglap medical clinic” nostalgic..
I believe there could be some more of such few storey flats in commonwealth area…
As kids, my classmates and I use to go this place for bicycle repairs.
There were zinc room houses and small shops – those were the good old days.
In the late fifties there were kampong attap houses and the sea came in where Marine Parade Road is: and I used to go there to pick seashells and watched the Malay & Chinese fishermen row out to sea in their sampans in early evenings. The beach was so pristine then .
In the sixties there was a Malay barber shop at the corner of the block and occasionally I saw former MP Rahim Ishak there having a crop. Those were happy and sleepy old days.
I rented a flat here a few years ago. The flats are not two-bedroom flats, but two-room flats: one hall, one bedroom (plus one kitchen, one bathroom). However there is one unit where someone has bought adjoining flats and renovated them into a larger unit.
I’m enjoying exploring your blog. Thanks for the meticulous and tireless work!