Given that the vast majority of Singaporeans live in HDB, many estates have a variety of F&B establishments for the convenience of residents.
However, a pub would still not be acceptable due to public order concerns.
Despite this, an F&B outlet in Yishun appeared to be operating as a pub, said the MP for the area.
Source: Derrick Goh on Facebook
Residents have reportedly complained of noise and smoke from the outlet.
In a Facebook post on 15 Aug, Nee Soon GRC MP Derrick Goh said he’d heard rumours of a “pub” operating in Nee Soon Link, the ward he’s in charge of.
Source: Derrick Goh on Facebook
The estate in question is Meadow Spring, which is in the far east corner of Yishun, bounded by Yishun Avenue 1.
The rumoured “pub” is located in Block 468A Yishun Street 43, he said.
As he didn’t believe that a pub licence would be given out for that unit, Mr Goh decided to visit the outlet and check it out for himself, together with HDB officers.
He was “surprised” to see a pub set-up, he said. This included beer and hard liquor available for sale.
Source: Google Maps
He also saw customers that he didn’t recognise as his residents.
Mr Goh also spoke to two men named Praveen and Vinod, who claimed to be the operators of the establishment, named “Hood Vibes”.
Source: Derrick Goh on Facebook
However, the MP noted that the name of the owner is a “Ms Poh”.
He didn’t get to meet this person, he said.
HDB was also surprised to see “what was clearly a liquor joint”, Mr Goh added, as they’d granted a café licence for the premises.
Thus, the agency said that they are investigating the potential breach of licensing conditions.
The MP hoped HDB’s probe would “mitigate disturbance to the peace and safety of our neighbourhood”.
Residents of the estate told Shin Min Daily News that they were plagued by noise and smoke from Hood Vibes.
A 36-year-old secretary named Rika said the outlet’s business is good, so the racket made by their customers has affected her family’s daily lives.
She said she would hear people talking loudly from 7pm and it would get worse after 11pm as patrons would laugh and shout outside the outlet.
The resident, who has lived there for three years, would also be disturbed by cigarette smoke from customers smoking outside Hood Vibes. This has led to she and her husband having to close their windows.
Source: Google Maps
Another resident, named only as Ms Chen (transliterated from Mandarin), said it’s improper to operate a “pub” in the estate.
The 31-year-old housewife was concerned over second-hand smoke and fights breaking out, and how this will affect her children.
However, 53-year-old driver named only as Mr Xie (transliterated from Mandarin) said the outlet didn’t affect him and drinking would take place only in the evening.
Nevertheless, a woman claiming to be the proprietor of Hood Vibes told Shin Min that her business isn’t a pub.
Their business hours are from 11am to 10pm, she said, and they don’t play loud music, only “low background music” without live singing or dancing.
They’re just a “simple café” that sells fare like pasta and chicken chop, she added, otherwise they wouldn’t be open in the morning.
As for the liquor, the business has an alcohol licence, she claimed. The authorities have even spot-checked them and nothing happened, she maintained.
The woman, who declined to be named, also said Mr Goh’s Facebook post was “misleading”.
Their customers weren’t happy that their photos were posted online, she added, and she’ll meet the MP to discuss the matter soon.
The woman then alleged that the noise didn’t come from her establishment, according to CCTV footage, as they closed at 10pm and all their staff had gone home.
The noise heard by residents may have come from “other neighbours”, she claimed.
Hopefully, the cause of the noise and smoke can be found soon for the sake of residents’ peace of mind.
The heartland F&B outlet isn’t the only one that has been subject to complaints from residents.
In January, a coffee shop in Serangoon hosted a Lunar New Year event, but residents lodged a police report over the noise.
Two men ended up being investigated over allegations of operating without a public entertainment licence.
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Featured image adapted from Derrick Goh on Facebook and Google Maps.
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