‘Sauna’ outside Serangoon Central HDB flat dismantled, town council helping resident remove clutter

‘Sauna’ outside Serangoon Central HDB flat dismantled upon owner’s request

Predictions by netizens that the “sauna” spotted outside an HDB flat would soon be removed have proven to be correct.

The structure in Serangoon Central was dismantled by the town council just two days after it went viral over the Internet, reported Lianhe Zaobao.

Workers took 15 minutes to dismantle Serangoon ‘sauna’

A Marine Parade Town Council (MPTC) spokesman told Zaobao that the flat owner contacted them on Wednesday (10 July) to ask for help removing the “sauna”.

Thus, MPTC arranged for four workers to come down to the flat in Block 427 Serangoon Central at 2.10pm on Thursday (11 July).

After inspecting the “sauna’s” structure, they went to work dismantling it, taking 15 minutes to do so.

They then brought the pieces of wood downstairs for transportation to the garbage disposal.

Serangoon ‘sauna’ was not connected to power supply

While the structure appeared to be a sauna from the outside, it was in fact not connected to a power supply, according to Zaobao reporters who visited the block on Wednesday, a day before it was dismantled.

Instead, it seemed to have been used as something like a storage room, with decorations, photos and paintings hung on the walls.

However, it may have been used as an actual sauna in the past as it had a rusty control panel with the word “INFRASPA” on it.

Neighbours told the paper that the resident is a Chinese woman in her 50s or 60s.

They believed that she used to live in a private residence that had a sauna installed and she brought it with her when she moved into an HDB flat.

Many potted plants also observed in corridor

Besides the “sauna”, a large number of potted plants were observed in the corridor outside the flat, as well as a cupboard directly in front of the stairwell.

That’s why two Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) personnel also visited the block on Thursday afternoon to measure the width of the corridor.

According to SCDF’s fire safety regulations, a minimum clearance of 1.2m should be maintained along HDB common corridors so residents can escape unimpeded during an emergency.

MPTC in touch with resident to reduce clutter

The flat owner has made an appointment with MPTC to further clear the clutter in the corridor outside her flat, the town council said.

MPTC will keep in touch and cooperate with her to reduce the clutter, it added.

Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng, who is also the Member of Parliament for Braddell Heights, told Zaobao that MPTC had been in contact with the resident for years over the clutter outside her flat.

The “sauna” was used only as a storage space, he said.

He appealed to the public not to install unauthorised structures in public areas and reduce clutter to avoid blocking corridors and stairwells, so as to create a safer and more comfortable living environment.

Neighbours have a bigger issue with potted plants

Neighbours seemed more indifferent about the “sauna”, with 75-year-old Mr Wu (transliterated from Mandarin) saying that it didn’t block access.

However, he had more of an issue with the potted plants, saying his late wife was in a wheelchair and had found it difficult to get past them.

Another neighbour, a 20-year-old student, said he’d heard that residents had complained about the plants due to concerns over potential mosquito breeding.

An 82-year-old retiree named only as Mr Lin (transliterated from Mandarin), who lives on the same floor, said the corridor outside the flat used to be quite spacious.

However, when the woman moved in about 10 years ago, the corridor became much narrower due to her belongings.

Though he doesn’t pass by the area frequently, he hoped the authorities would remove the plants as soon as possible to make it easier for everyone to use the corridor.

“The town council should conduct regular inspections to make sure public areas aren’t occupied by people,” he added.

Also read: Bukit Merah Flat Tenants Reportedly Cook In HDB Corridor, 5 People Rent Cluttered Unit

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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News on Facebook and Lianhe Zaobao.