On 5th August 2022, we received an email from HDB with the subject –
Blocks 562 to 565 Ang Mo Kio Ave 3 – Purchase of New Replacement Flat with Rehousing Benefits
In item #3 and #4 – Amenities & Connectivity at the Replacement Site in Ang Mo Kio Drive, HDB is really trying very hard to convince why the replacement site at ulu AMK Drive is really near eating establishments, clinic and wet market. And it is also next to ITE College Central, which has a supermarket, shops, and food and beverage outlets.
It looks nice on paper in the eyes of million dollar scholars but unfortunately, in reality, ITE College Central’s food court opening hours are: –
Open from Mon to Fri: 7am to 8pm
Sat: 7am to 6pm.
Exam/Studying period,term breaks or Public Holiday the food court is closed.
The cai png for public at ITE College Central is more expensive and there are no senior citizens subsidy.
That illustrates how out of touch the authorities were when planning the entire AMK SERS project.
Our current location has a coffee shop at Block 555 with food prices that are more economical and it is even open during Exam/Studying period, term breaks or Public Holiday.
It doesn’t need a scholar to figure that out if they had done enough ground work right?
Transportation. What transportation?
In terms of transportation, the authority also tried their best to convince AMK SERS residents why the SERS Replacement Site is really not as shabby as compared to Central Weave @ Ang Mo Kio
Examples of buses plying Ang Mo Kio Ave 5 were 45, 50, 72, 159 at A1 and B1.
Erh…if HDB had given us Central Weave @ AMK which could house 890 units consists of 3 rooms and 4 rooms, we would be just 5 mins walk to Ang Mo Kio Interchange with buses – 22, 24, 25, 73, 86, 130, 133, 135, 136, 138, 166, 169, 261, 262, 265 and 269
Comparing that with 4 miserable bus service, any children will be able to tell you which option is better.
And by the way, with only 4 miserable buses and an increased human traffic at Ulu AMK Dr, each bus that arrived at the bus stop will most likely be packed like sardines. Of course, million dollar scholars will never know that as everything looks perfect on paper for them 🙂
So again, why can’t HDB plan for a 890 units SERS Replacement Site that can accommodate 606 residents is really up to anyone’s guess.
Not to mention, there are many old folks among the 606 families. Does the authority really think all of us can wait for a decade for them to complete the entire development at that rotten corner of AMK called Ulu AMK Drive?
We do not have the luxury of time to sit around waiting for HDB, LTA and other ministries to drag their feets in developing the amenities, increase bus routes, build overhead bridges etc.
There are existing tried and tested amenities like Polyclinic, hawkers centres, market, kopi tiams and well connected transportation at central Weave; but the perception most of us in the affected SERS community had about the authority – “you die die want to make money from public by giving the central prime location BTO to others than your own AMK SERS residents. And when we make noise, you said Nah, give you chance to also ballot for Central Weave lah, don’t say we never give you chance.”
Just as what this auntie resident said, all 606 families were having durians and then the authorities came along, force us out of our homes and try their best to make us accept their apples (tomatoes).
And to make matters worst, 8 weeks after offering us those rotten apples (tomatoes), they said they will be offering durians at a prime location called Central Weave @ Ang Mo Kio and AMK SERS residents not entitle to buy.
Huh??? What type of sh** planning was that? It was a big slap on all the faces of the 606 families.
“Simi sai?”
Residents from SERS projects will be given priority within 10% of the available units in these BTO
I was joking with my close friend the other day and she mentioned almost every damn thing in SG needs to ballot. From weddings, nanny, infant care centres, primary schools, child care centres, University and even BTO flats.
I even seen people around me who had ballot 9 times for a HDB flat and still couldn’t get a booking slot.
So what does that mean for us affected by AMK SERS? Think about it, prime location in a mature estate like AMK, close to transportation hub and amenities. BUT ONLY 890 UNITS AVAILABLE.
If there are 150 4-room flats, 10% means only 15 units will be available for SERS residents. If half of us applied, that will be 303 families vying for 15 units. It the government forcing us to decide if we want to participate in Squid Game?
And for the 288 SERS residents that could not get the 10% Priority units, they will need to compete with the majority of the public in the BTO exercise. Based on past applications, easily we can see thousands of applicants for that pool of 4-room units.
If in the event that one of the SERS residents is lucky or really unlucky to be invited to book an unit at Central Weave @ AMK, and there is only 1 last unit that is at 2nd floor near the refuse chute, the (super lucky / unlucky) resident will have to decide if wants to take up the unit. If take up, end of story and live happily forever after.
If don’t take up, the SERS resident will go back to the Ulu AMK Drive replacement site and HDB will place this resident at the very back of the ballot queue.
If you are that super lucky / unlucky resident, will you take it?
There are no good news since the announcement of AMK SERS.
To us, everything is either wayang. We are really sick and tired of constantly featured in the local news media.
Whoever that planned this stupid AMK SERS really deserved a spanking and early retirement.
Sure, there were some unhappiness among past SERS projects. But I had NEVER EVER see another project like AMK SERS that was so ill-thought out, full of lame excuses, flip-flopping and half-baked contingencies by authorities.
AMK SERS definitely is a good source material for TCS 8 drama; excluding the rape and molest scenes of course, LOL.