Tampines resident feels ‘discriminated’ over lack of new wall tiles on 13th-floor lift landing
A resident of Block 496 Tampines Avenue 9 has described feeling “disparaged as diaspora” over differences in his 13th-floor lift landing compared to the rest of the block.
Stomper Arkus is dismayed that lift landings for the first to 12th floor have had improvement works done, but not the one on the 13th floor, where he resides.
Arkus claimed that when the block was first built in 1992, residents on the 13th floor did not have access to the lift on the same level. They had to walk up and down a flight of stairs until the Lift Upgrading Programme (LUP) conducted by the Housing Development Board (HDB) some years ago.
“Only 13th-floor residents of Block 496 were required to pay $2,000 each to have the new lift access,” said the Stomper, who has been living in the block for around 33 years.
“This lift access did not install ceramic tiles on the facade wall, and it was a bare painted concrete wall.”
Arkus said that Tampines Town Council has been carrying out renewal works to the block. However, he did not observe improvement works or new wall tiles installed on the 13th floor.
In photos he shared with Stomp, only the thirteenth floor lift landing is seen painted white, while the rest have reflective wall tiles.
The aggrieved resident said he wanted to share his concerns with Stomp as a “last resort”.
Residents informed of final design before voting
An HDB spokesperson told Stomp on April 7 that when the block was built in 1992, lift access was originally from the first to 12th floor only, as the lift’s machine room had to be built on the top storey. This meant there would not be space to accommodate a lift going up to the 13th floor.
Following technological advancements that allowed HDB to do away with the machine room, HDB could offer 13th-floor residents lift access under the LUP, after the majority voted in favour of the programme. These works were completed in 2013.
As only households on that floor benefitted from the LUP, they were required to co-pay for the works undertaken, HDB said.
“To keep the costs of lift upgrading low and ensure that the co-payment cost was affordable for the flat owners, only basic finishes for the lift lobby were provided under the LUP at Block 496, similar to all other LUP projects,” said the spokesperson, adding that the design was communicated clearly to residents prior to polling via a brochure and posters.
In response to Stomp’s queries, Tampines Town Council said it recognises that the lift lobby on the topmost floor of Block 496 has a different original design, as there were no wall tiles previously installed.
“As the current Repairs and Redecoration (R&R) works are meant to repair or replace existing cyclical items, they do not provide the installation of new wall tiles where none previously existed,” said the town council.
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