Former Rochor households use scheme to keep ties that bind

SINGAPORE — Despite moving from Rochor Centre to their Kallang Trivista homes in November, the ties that bind endured for Mr Hon Chin Fatt’s family. His children, who were raised by their maternal grandmother, continue to go to her flat for dinner.

This is because Mr Hon, his mother-in-law and his brothers-in-law live in neighbouring blocks at the new development near Kallang MRT Station.

Of the 808 Trivista units, 504 are Rochor households, of which 95 have made use of a scheme that aims to preserve community ties.

Under the Joint Selection Scheme, up to six households may apply for joint selection, and they need not be related. The applications are banded together and given the same Housing and Development Board appointment to jointly select replacement flats.

This enables the applicants to select adjacent units or units in the same block, depending on availability when the selection is due. Living close by means being able to look after one another, said Mr Hon, 61.

“It would be harder for the children to take a bus or train to see their grandmother, and they’d be more likely to postpone their visits,” added the engineer, whose family upgraded from a three-room flat in Rochor to a five-roomer in Kallang. His mother-in-law, Mdm Gan Kim Leng, 80, lives in the next block with a son, while another son also lives in her block.

All three households previously lived in Block 4 of Rochor Centre, which had to make way for the construction of the North-South Expressway.

Mr Hon paid S$714,000 for his new flat and received S$30,000 in relocation benefits and S$514,000 as compensation for his old flat. While the Rochor unit was better located, a bigger flat means his daughter and son, aged 21 and 26, now get their own rooms.

A vinyl record player takes pride of place in the living room, where Mr Hon’s collection of over 1,000 records are stored in cupboards.

Another set of Rochor residents who applied for the scheme are neighbours Mdm Chow Poh Wah, 69, and Mr Sim Yong Tong, 53. Their families had lived next to each other for 17 years.

“We’re on very good terms and agreed to be neighbours again,” said Mdm Chow, who lives with her husband in a three-roomer in Kallang Trivista.

Mr Sim said his wife and Mdm Chow are Cantonese and would share desserts and other dishes. Mdm Chow not owning pets is a plus, as his 19-year-old daughter is afraid of dogs and cats, the service engineer added.

While his two children each have a room now in the family’s four-room flat, Mr Sim said Rochor was tops for its location and numerous food and beverage options downstairs. He hopes for a coffee shop and ATM machine at Kallang Trivista.

About 4,200 households, including those from Rochor Centre, have applied for the Joint Selection Scheme since it began in 1996.