Recently, residents at Block 640B in Tampines North put up a dragon-shaped mural for Chinese New Year (CNY) to spruce up the area.
Unfortunately, a cleaner removed the artwork after just two days.
Tampines GRC MP and vice-chairman of Tampines Town Council Baey Yam Keng had suggested that the mural be left up, but his message did not reach the cleaner in time.
Speaking to The Straits Times (ST), a couple shared that they had recently moved into Block 640B of the Tampines GreenVines Build-To-Order (BTO) estate.
To greet their neighbours and lift their mood, the couple decided to put up a dragon mural at the lift lobby of Block 640B Tampines Street 62. The mural resembled the shape of the Toa Payoh dragon playground.
The couple reportedly spent at least an hour designing and assembling the mural, which they made using white vinyl stickers.
The husband told ST they planned to remove the stickers — none of which leave marks behind — after CNY.
Mr Baey shared with ST that he found out about the mural on 5 Feb. He reportedly heard from a resident who described it as “sweet” and “nice.”
He added that he was aware the artwork would not be allowed on common property. However, he suggested that the council leave it up until the end of CNY as it did no damage to the area.
Unfortunately, his recommendation did not get to one of the estate cleaners in time, who removed the mural just two days after it was up.
Mr Baey stated that he appreciated residents taking it upon themselves to spruce up common spaces. On the other hand, he expressed his hopes that the incident would not set a “precedent for a change in regulations”.
He noted that defining appropriateness and what can and cannot be done remains a challenge. Therefore, such cases have to be treated on a “case by case” basis.
According to ST, the town council said the couple did not request formal approval before putting up the mural.
In removing the artwork, the cleaner followed cleaning and maintenance protocols.
If the couple chose to put the mural up again, the council said it would allow it to remain in the area until the end of CNY.
The council also emphasised that approvals are necessary to ensure compliance with by-laws and balance between the differing needs for public displays.
The factors that go into the consideration of such requests include ensuring decorations do not clutter common areas or obscure safety signs.
Under these by-laws, common property should not be removed, destroyed, damaged, or defaced. Additionally, the town council can recover the cost of restoring damaged property from those responsible.
MS News has reached out to Mr Baey and the Tampines Town Council for more information on the matter.
Last year, the BTO project in Tampines North also went viral due to its crimson walls and floors.
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Featured image adapted from @greenvines.sg on Instagram.
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