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mr funny
23-06-11, 12:43
http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC110623-0000315/Monster-invasion

Monster invasion

Letter from Sandra Jayandran

04:47 AM Jun 23, 2011


I LEARNT with great interest that a three-storey "monster" home being built in the Simei area is upsetting the neighbours. Most are unhappy that the house, which occupies almost all the land it sits on, will ruin the aesthetics of their estate.

Some residents have complained that it blocks their view of the sky, apart from dwarfing the houses around it.

While some netizens seem to think the neighbours are jealous of the owner being able to afford the S$2-million renovation, I agree with those who are unhappy with the "hulking monster" as I have seen many such instances in other housing estates like Serangoon Gardens and Seletar Hills, where the houses were predominantly single-storey terrace and semi-detached houses.

Nowadays, if you drive through these estates, what will greet you are huge and, dare I say, ugly houses lining the small and narrow streets. Where is the charm and ambience of the old houses built in the '50s and '60s?

They are all being replaced with soul-less three-storey houses often with no garden, completely tiled up and all competing to be the tallest house on the street.

I am no architect but such houses seem totally disproportionate to the land they sit on and the surrounding area. Secondly, the space designated to such landed properties was obviously intended for single-storey houses with a garden.

How can the authorities approve renovation work where the houses come almost to the front of the gate and are built to within an inch of the neighbour's house?

I know we are a land-scarce nation but the designs of some of these newer houses make me shudder. Perhaps it is time we re-look the building and renovation guidelines, and restrict the height and size of these houses.