Tiong Bahru blocks to be painted brown after criticisms over purple makeover
The 14 Tiong Bahru Housing Board blocks, that had ignited much debate and discussion after residents found out the buildings were going to be painted in purple, are now going to be painted a new colour - brown.
The decision on the new colour scheme comes after the views of residents were sought through a poll held from May 26 to 28.
A notice by the Tanjong Pagar Town Council on May 30 showed that 40 per cent of the Boon Tiong Road residents who voted selected the "taupe" colour scheme from four different options.
The initial purple paintjob had come under the spotlight earlier in May, after parts of the exterior of Block 9A Boon Tiong Road was painted several shades of purple, including a dark plum which some residents said looked gaudy.
Residents were upset as they said their views were not sought.
Following the uproar, Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Foo Cexiang had decided to do a poll after residents told him they wanted a choice over the colour scheme.
Two of the options were variations of purple. The "classic purple" option, which had more white portions and shades of light purple, garnered 17 per cent of votes.
Another option, called "lightened purple gradient", had more purple sections. It received 13 per cent of votes.
The other option, a yellow colour scheme, got 30 per cent of the vote.
A resident, Ms Nicole Lau, felt the winning taupe colour scheme was acceptable, she hoped that the classic purple option would be chosen as she liked the finished paint job at Block 2A Boon Tiong Road, which sported shades of lilac.
"The lilac colour looks quite soothing. What I didn't like was the dark purple shade," said the teacher who is in her 40s.
"Are we going to be called the Milo blocks now?" she added, referring to the chocolate malt beverage.
A resident at Block 2A, who wanted to be known only as Mr Chen, said he was disappointed with the results as his block would have to undergo another round of painting.
"The purple colour is nice, I don't understand why there was a huge fuss over it. Now, residents at Block 2A will have to be inconvenienced again," said the 60-year-old IT consultant.
He said the block's purple makeover took about a month and was completed in early May. It was previously off-white with shades of light orange.
Mr Foo told reporters on May 17 that the purple colour scheme was selected to reflect the purple-blossomed bougainvillea planted along Boon Tiong Road as part of a community event in 2015.
The idea came from a discussion between Ms Indranee Rajah - who was previously adviser to Tanjong Pagar GRC Grassroots Organisations - as well as residents and architects, he said.
Ms Indranee was MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC from 2001 to 2025 before moving to head the PAP's team in Pasir Ris-Changi GRC for the 2025 General Election.
As to why voting was not done earlier, Mr Foo said there is no protocol on how advisers should conduct the repainting process.
He said painting will start about three to four weeks after the colour scheme is chosen.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Paper
3 days ago
- New Paper
Tiong Bahru blocks to be painted brown after criticisms over purple makeover
The 14 Tiong Bahru Housing Board blocks, that had ignited much debate and discussion after residents found out the buildings were going to be painted in purple, are now going to be painted a new colour - brown. The decision on the new colour scheme comes after the views of residents were sought through a poll held from May 26 to 28. A notice by the Tanjong Pagar Town Council on May 30 showed that 40 per cent of the Boon Tiong Road residents who voted selected the "taupe" colour scheme from four different options. The initial purple paintjob had come under the spotlight earlier in May, after parts of the exterior of Block 9A Boon Tiong Road was painted several shades of purple, including a dark plum which some residents said looked gaudy. Residents were upset as they said their views were not sought. Following the uproar, Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Foo Cexiang had decided to do a poll after residents told him they wanted a choice over the colour scheme. Two of the options were variations of purple. The "classic purple" option, which had more white portions and shades of light purple, garnered 17 per cent of votes. Another option, called "lightened purple gradient", had more purple sections. It received 13 per cent of votes. The other option, a yellow colour scheme, got 30 per cent of the vote. A resident, Ms Nicole Lau, felt the winning taupe colour scheme was acceptable, she hoped that the classic purple option would be chosen as she liked the finished paint job at Block 2A Boon Tiong Road, which sported shades of lilac. "The lilac colour looks quite soothing. What I didn't like was the dark purple shade," said the teacher who is in her 40s. "Are we going to be called the Milo blocks now?" she added, referring to the chocolate malt beverage. A resident at Block 2A, who wanted to be known only as Mr Chen, said he was disappointed with the results as his block would have to undergo another round of painting. "The purple colour is nice, I don't understand why there was a huge fuss over it. Now, residents at Block 2A will have to be inconvenienced again," said the 60-year-old IT consultant. He said the block's purple makeover took about a month and was completed in early May. It was previously off-white with shades of light orange. Mr Foo told reporters on May 17 that the purple colour scheme was selected to reflect the purple-blossomed bougainvillea planted along Boon Tiong Road as part of a community event in 2015. The idea came from a discussion between Ms Indranee Rajah - who was previously adviser to Tanjong Pagar GRC Grassroots Organisations - as well as residents and architects, he said. Ms Indranee was MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC from 2001 to 2025 before moving to head the PAP's team in Pasir Ris-Changi GRC for the 2025 General Election. As to why voting was not done earlier, Mr Foo said there is no protocol on how advisers should conduct the repainting process. He said painting will start about three to four weeks after the colour scheme is chosen.
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Straits Times
Tiong Bahru blocks to be painted brown after criticisms over purple makeover
The initial purple paintjob had come under the spotlight earlier in May. PHOTO: ST FILE Tiong Bahru blocks to be painted brown after criticisms over purple makeover SINGAPORE - The 14 Tiong Bahru Housing Board blocks, that had ignited much debate and discussion after residents found out the buildings were going to be painted in purple, are now going to be painted a new colour - brown. The decision on the new colour scheme comes after the views of residents were sought through a poll held from May 26 to 28. A notice by the Tanjong Pagar Town Council on May 30 showed that 40 per cent of the Boon Tiong Road residents who voted selected the 'taupe' colour scheme from four different options. The initial purple paintjob had come under the spotlight earlier in May, after parts of the exterior of Block 9A Boon Tiong Road was painted several shades of purple, including a dark plum which some residents said looked gaudy. Residents were upset as they said their views were not sought. Following the uproar, Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Foo Cexiang had decided to do a poll after residents told him they wanted a choice over the colour scheme. Two of the options were variations of purple. The 'classic purple' option, which had more white portions and shades of light purple, garnered 17 per cent of votes. Another option, called 'lightened purple gradient', had more purple sections. It received 13 per cent of votes. The other option, a yellow colour scheme, got 30 per cent of the vote. A resident, Ms Nicole Lau, felt the winning taupe colour scheme was acceptable, she hoped that the classic purple option would be chosen as she liked the finished paint job at Block 2A Boon Tiong Road, which sported shades of lilac. 'The lilac colour looks quite soothing. What I didn't like was the dark purple shade,' said the teacher who is in her 40s. 'Are we going to be called the Milo blocks now?' she added, referring to the chocolate malt beverage. A resident at Block 2A, who wanted to be known only as Mr Chen, said he was disappointed with the results as his block would have to undergo another round of painting. 'The purple colour is nice, I don't understand why there was a huge fuss over it. Now, residents at Block 2A will have to be inconvenienced again,' said the 60-year-old IT consultant. He said the block's purple makeover took about a month and was completed in early May. It was previously off-white with shades of light orange. Mr Foo told reporters on May 17 that the purple colour scheme was selected to reflect the purple-blossomed bougainvillea planted along Boon Tiong Road as part of a community event in 2015. The idea came from a discussion between Ms Indranee Rajah – who was previously adviser to Tanjong Pagar GRC Grassroots Organisations – as well as residents and architects, he said. Ms Indranee was MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC from 2001 to 2025 before moving to head the PAP's team in Pasir Ris-Changi GRC for the 2025 General Election. As to why voting was not done earlier, Mr Foo said there is no protocol on how advisers should conduct the repainting process. He said painting will start about three to four weeks after the colour scheme is chosen. Isabelle Liew is a journalist at The Straits Times. She covers housing issues in Singapore, with a focus on public housing. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Straits Times
Third Conversations with ST discusses the role and relevance of media with young professionals
The group discussions were facilitated by 11 members of ST's editorial team, including ST editor Jaime Ho (front row, left) and ST associate editor Zakir Hussain (second row, right). ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI Third Conversations with ST discusses the role and relevance of media with young professionals SINGAPORE – The third session of The Straits Times' engagement series took place on the evening of May 27, bringing together 40 young professionals to share their perspectives on ST's role as a national news publication. The event, which ran for two hours, was part of the ST180 celebrations, marking the publication's 180th anniversary in 2025. Unlike earlier sessions, which were held as panel discussions, the latest event held at PPP Coffee @ New Bahru adopted a more intimate format, with participants divided into six smaller groups for deeper conversations. The group discussions were facilitated by 11 members of ST's editorial team, including ST editor Jaime Ho, ST associate editor Zakir Hussain and Mr Jeremy Au Yong, ST's associate editor (newsroom strategy). Topics explored ranged from how the newsroom selects stories for coverage and how ST can remain relevant to younger audiences, to the need for society to retain common spaces amid polarising viewpoints. Several participants said the session gave them a glimpse into newsroom decision-making, particularly in handling sensitive issues such as suicide coverage. This event was the first session that was open to the public. The previous sessions in the year-long series called Conversations with The Straits Times were invite-only events, the first in January involving individuals from non-profit organisations and the second in March involving junior college students. These sessions aim to facilitate candid discussions between ST and its audiences, by offering readers a chance to interact with the ST editorial team in person. To remain relevant to younger audiences, several participants suggested that ST should make greater use of its Telegram channel to push news updates, noting that many of their peers are active on the platform. Ms Edith Cheow Rui Xuan, 23, a final-year student at an institute of higher learning, said that the ST mobile app could provide incentives to encourage regular engagement. 'The ST app could provide reward perks for daily check-ins. Given the general inclination towards rewarding individuals for their time and effort, offering micro-rewards, gamified reading challenges or subscription tiers with exclusive benefits could encourage engagement,' she said. Some participants also suggested that ST develop an applet that could present or recommend relevant stories from its own website, whenever users visit other news sites such as The New York Times. Some also said they noticed a shift in ST's content over the years, including a growing emphasis on podcasts and short-form content. An example raised were the short video clips produced during the 2025 General Election, where journalists explained election-related news in a catchy and accessible format. ST senior columnist Lin Suling (centre) with participants at the third edition of Conversations with The Straits Times on May 27. ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI Discussions also explored the continued importance of journalistic objectivity in an increasingly polarised world. Participants reflected on how moderate voices often go unheard, while those with more extreme views sometimes dominate discourse. Acknowledging these concerns, Mr Ho emphasised ST's commitment to balanced and objective reporting, despite it potentially becoming more challenging with polarising views in society. Participants in some groups also expressed interest in seeing more coverage on topics such as alternative education pathways and mental health. ST recently launched a youth-focused series titled More than Grades, which spotlights students beyond their academic achievements. This follows a separate series – No health without mental health – that began in October 2024 to explore the topic of mental health in the local context. Ms Linda Lee, 37, a human-experience leadership coach and speaker, said: 'Younger audiences today aren't just passive consumers – they're looking for something that feels real, relevant, and worth their time. ST can really lean into that by covering more stories of the human experience.' For more information about ST180, visit
