Noise and crowds a bugbear for some residents near hipster enclaves

SINGAPORE — Mr Patrick Ee, 68, has not been able to sleep well at night since bars started to sprout up in his neighbourhood about a year ago.

When TODAY reporters approached Mr Ee at his home in Sunset Way off Clementi Road on an afternoon this past week, he was trying to catch up on some sleep on a sofa in the living room.

“At night, I can’t sleep, that’s why I’m trying to sleep now. When (customers) leave at 2am to 2.30am, then I can sleep,” he said, referring to those who patronise food and beverage outlets such as Stickies Bar and Lim Bistro, two F&B outlets amongst the more than a dozen cafes, restaurants and bars that have sprung up at the estate.

He told TODAY that customers tend to get “very loud” after they drink, and some even allegedly break into fights in the wee hours of the morning.

“This is a HDB area, why are they allowing them (bars) to rent this kind of place?” asked the retiree.

Mr Ee’s complaints are not unique.

A check by TODAY on other hipster enclaves in HDB estates — including those at Everton Park and Jalan Besar — found that some residents, especially the elderly, are unhappy with the noise and the crowds, particularly during weekends.

They also lament how these businesses have displaced those which would have better served their needs such as provision shops or coffee shops, where items are generally more affordable as well.

Other residents, however, are receptive to the new outlets, saying they have injected life into their estates.

The issue of hipster enclaves came under the spotlight last week when the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) rezoned parts of the Tiong Bahru estate, following feedback from residents who were affected by the disamenities generated by the cafes, yoga studios and artisanal shops, among others.

Just a floor below Mr Ee lives Mrs Aiza Bumakod, 30, whose corner unit faces the entertainment outlets.

She said that last year there were fights “every night”, with shouting from young people who had been drinking, but starting this year the situation has improved somewhat.

Mrs Bumakod — who has a one-year-old child — was more concerned about the seafood restaurant directly below her unit, where noises of plates being tossed around could be heard till 11pm.

“(My child is) having difficulties sleeping even in the afternoon and at night,” she said.

Not all are upset with the presence of the F&B outlets.

A resident who lives in the same block as Mrs Bumakod and who wanted only to be known as Vicki said that the bars close at 11pm and there was “not much noise” coming from these places.

“It’s pretty much under control… they (the customers) are not rowdy or anything” the 32-year-old added.

She also said that her family are regular customers at the F&B outlets in the estate, and that they “try it out every now and then.”

Over at Everton Park, the opening of Nylon Coffee Roasters in 2012 has brought a wave of chic and modern F&B outlets, hair salons and fitness gyms in tow, according to residents whom TODAY approached. This has transformed an otherwise ageing housing estate that some have described as “quaint”.  

The new establishments have drawn some complaints from Everton Park residents.

Irene Wong, an 18-year-old resident who lives above a stretch of cafes, which includes Nylon Coffee Roasters, said that there used to be signboards near the cafes with warnings such as “please don’t make so much noise”, but these have since been taken down.  

Her main gripe however is with the high prices these new businesses charge.

“I think it’s not so good because the things that they sell can be quite expensive, (and are meant) for maybe foreigners who come here, (but) people living around here cannot afford,” she said.

Mdm Shiw Moi Chai, an Everton Park resident for over 30 years added: “One small cup of coffee can be S$4 to S$5, how can us elderly afford it?”

Mdm Shiw also said that on weekends, the cafe can get so crowded, some of the customers spill out onto the corridors.

“It used to be quieter in the past,” said the 79-year-old.

Everton Park Residents' Committee manager Mabel Tan told TODAY that most residents do not patronise these cafes and restaurants because it is too expensive. “We go to coffee shops, she said.

There are three mini marts and two coffee shops serving the seven blocks in Everton park, hence the residents can still get their daily necessities at affordable prices from those shops, she added.

Business owners targeting the hipster crowd say their target audience is not residents in the estate.

With haircuts priced at S$35, Mr Victor Tan, co-owner of barbershop Mr Moustache, said that his services cater more for working professionals from the nearby Central Business District.

“In the beginning, a lot of old residents open the door and see the prices and exclaim that it’s expensive,” Mr Tan said. His shop first opened in 2015.

Similarly, owner of Nylon Coffee Roasters Mr Dennis Tang, 43, said that “maybe 5 per cent” of his customers are people who live in the estate.

At Jalan Besar, the opening of popular F&B businesses such as Chye Seng Huat Hardware which opened in 2012 and The Bravery Cafe which opened the year after has led to dozens more hip restaurants, cafes and bars opening along Horne Road and Tyrwhitt Road, completely transforming the area.  

By and large, residents there do not mind the change.

“It increases the food options available to us, and the shops are only a short walk away,” said Mr Tan Soon Kiat, 61.

The cafes that popped up replaced older warehouses and hardware shops, said Mr Tan, a resident for more than 30 years, and that these former hardware shops produced as much, if not more noise than the F&B businesses.

A Jalan Besar resident who only wanted to be known as Madam Chew said that the bars and restaurants are “quite far away” from the HDB estates, and do not cause any disturbances to the residents.

In contrast, the 58-year-old said that the new establishments have turned an otherwise quiet estate “more lively”.

EVERYONE PLAYS A PART

Some business owners say that they have tried to minimise the inconvenience to residents.

Ms Goh Yi Ping, 27, Co-Owner of Marble Bistro at Everton Park, said it spent three months to sort out licensing issues with HDB, including over its exhaust system, in order not to pollute the air in the neighbourhood.

Similarly, Mr Tang said: “It’s just that in the mornings every weekend, a lot of kids come with their parents, so this becomes like a giant playground but they’re shouting and running around, we try to remind the parents to help.”

Mr Tang also pointed out that he had spent a five-figure sum on the equipment for removal of smoke and smell while grinding coffee beans.

Over at Sunset Way, Norman Then, Chief Executive Officer of Stickies Bar, said that his outlet had come to an agreement with HDB that its music would stop at 11pm.

“The managers and staff are trained to remind customers to keep their volume down, especially after they’ve had a few drinks,” he said, adding that he has not received any complaints from residents.

TODAY understands that depending on the type of trade which the businesses engage in, they are governed by regulations of various agencies such as Housing and Development Board, Singapore Police Force, Singapore Civil Defence Force and the National Environment Agency.

For example, coffee shop operators are allowed to operate their outdoor refreshment areas only between 6am and 11pm.  However, by and large, the composition of shops at public housing estates is a result of market forces.

“Commercial uses are mostly market-driven, and respond to wider influences such as changing consumption patterns and lifestyles,” a spokesman for Urban Redevelopment Authority said in response to TODAY’s queries.

“Building owners (who determine rental rates and choice of tenants), tenants (who determine the type and mode of business operations) and customers (who choose which shops to patronise) all play a large part in shaping the character of commercial areas, as well as the neighbourhood they are in.”

A drinking spot along Sunset Way at night on Thursday (26 July). Photo: Chng Shao Kai / TODAY

To facilitate a balance between maintaining amenity and having businesses serve the community, URA takes into consideration several factors when evaluating applications for commercial uses in each neighbourhood. They include the planning intention for the area, and prevailing ground concerns like traffic and noise issues, the spokesman said.

“In addition, we work with partner agencies to assess and address the impact of different commercial uses on the neighbourhood. When necessary, we have put in place policies to guide the allowable commercial uses in specific neighbourhoods. Business owners/operators also have a part to play by taking measures to minimise any adverse impact on the community.”

Addressing residents’ complaints about the bars located at Sunset Way, Member of Parliament (MP) for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC Christopher de Souza told TODAY that he is taking the matter “seriously” and he wants to “get to the bottom” of it because his priority is the well-being of the residents.

Mr de Souza added that a few years ago, residents had complained about blower fans and exhaust fumes from some nearby F&B businesses that caused smells in the neighbourhood.

“Some residents were not too happy. So we spoke with the businesses, and they actually shifted the exhaust fans, so that it would push out air to less populated area and that did help,” he said.

“There is actually quite a lot that can be done on the ground, the businesses cooperate and residents provide valuable feedback...... this is something that I want to do also in this situation, which is speak to the business to say look, please have concerns for the residents (for) any noise that is created.”

Second Minister for Finance and Education Indranee Rajah, MP of Tanjong Pagar GRC who oversees Everton Park estate, said that she has received some complaints from residents living on the lower floors of the blocks where hipster outlets are located.  

One was perturbed about the chemical smells of the laundry below her unit. Some others had feedback about the smells from some of the outlets, such as the burnt smell of roasted coffee, while residents on the higher floors and the blocks which were further away from the outlets “were generally okay with them”, she told TODAY.

“As a general rule… my understanding is that HDB tries to balance between having vibrancy and providing choice on the one hand, and disamenities on the other,” she said.

“For example, having an ice-cream place is very popular with parents with young children. However that may also mean some noise when children play. Likewise having a pet-grooming shop is very convenient for pet owners and animal lovers, but those who are afraid of animals may not be so keen to have them in the estate,” she added.

“It is about striking a balance and having a bit of give and take, and also trying to ensure that any disamenities are kept to a minimum.”

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