Some Tiong Bahru residents upset that HDB blocks were to be repainted ‘gaudy' purple without vote

Straits Times

13-05-2025

On May 13, ST observed that the paint job appeared to be completed for one block, 2A Boon Tiong Road, which sported shades of lilac. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Some Tiong Bahru residents upset that HDB blocks were to be repainted 'gaudy' purple without vote
SINGAPORE - Tiong Bahru resident Jasmine Chin, 59, got a shock over the 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-timer 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 across Blocks 9A and 9B Boon Tiong Road who told ST they wished 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, ST observed that 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.
When ST visited Blocks 9A and 9B on May 13, a sign pasted at the lift lobbies said: 'Our blocks of flats is about to be painted in the most saturated and awful purple.'
The message also urged residents to contact their newly elected MP Foo Cexiang or the Tanjong Pagar Town Council.
The notices highlighted the lack of a voting process and the purple colour scheme.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Mr Foo , who oversees the Tanjong Pagar-Tiong Bahru division of Tanjong Pagar GRC, had said in a Facebook post on May 10 that he has asked the town council to pause the works 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.
When contacted, Mr Foo said he had nothing further to add beyond his post. The Tanjong Pagar Town Council also pointed to Mr Foo's statement , in response to ST's queries.
Accountant Steve Ng, 39, who lives in Block 9A , said that while the lighter purple shades were 'quite nice', the dark purple was an 'eyesore'.
'We should be allowed to vote on the colour, even if not everyone is satisfied, at least it's a majority vote,' he said.
Madam Alice Yap, 69, who has lived in Block 2A for over 20 years, said she liked the makeover, but added that she was confused why the residents were not asked to vote on the colour.
'The previous time the block was repainted, about eight years ago, I remember voting for the colour scheme,' she said.
The fully painted Block 2A (back), in lighter shades of purple, in Boon Tiong Road, on May 13.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
When HDB blocks are set to be repainted, town councils typically ask residents to vote for a colour scheme from among several options.
For instance, the Tampines Town Council had in 2024 painted a cluster of 13 HDB blocks to match a theme inspired by aeroplane chess, a popular Chinese childhood board game.
Out of the 41 people who voted, 61 per cent selected the red, green, blue and yellow colour scheme from three different options.
The walls of two of the blocks were repainted white, after some residents raised concerns with Tampines GRC MP Baey Yam Keng about the red or green glow the paint job from those two blocks had cast into their flats.
Mr Lim Biow Chuan, the former coordinating chairman for PAP town councils, said that to his knowledge, there is no rule stating that a poll must be done.
Mr Lim, who was MP for Mountbatten from 2011 to 2025 before retiring from politics , said that each town council has its own process for deciding the colour scheme when blocks are repainted.
'But we do recommend that a poll be taken among the residents because choice of colours is subjective. Each resident has their own perspective of what is their preferred colour. The better option is to follow the choice of the majority,' he said.
Isabelle Liew is a journalist at The Straits Times. She covers housing issues in Singapore, with a focus on public housing.
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