Waterway Point management promises that rat sighting will "never happen again" at the mall

Waterway Point shopping mall's management has promised that the rat sighting in March this year would not be repeated. ST PHOTO: SEAH KWANG PENG

SINGAPORE - The management of the new Waterway Point shopping mall in Punggol has promised that there would be no repeat of a rat incident there, saying it is working "very closely" with the National Environment Agency (NEA).

In March, a diner had complained on Facebook that a rat fell from the ceiling above her while she was waiting for her meal at The Coffee House eatery. It was the first report of a rat sighting at the mall that the NEA received since it opened in January.

That incident was an "embarrassing moment,"said Mr Christopher Tang, chief executive officer (commerical and greater China) of Frasers Centrepoint, one of the mall's developers, on Tuesday (April 19) at the mall's official opening ceremony.

"An incident like that, obviously we are not happy about it," he said.

But he added: "We are a professional mall manager. We have (a) professional pest control (company) working on programmes to make sure that it will never happen again."

Home to more than 200 tenants including Japanese clothing brand Uniqlo and London Fat Duck eatery, the mall has attracted more than six million shoppers in the first three months this year.

Nestled in a new estate with many young families, Waterway Point also features an Alice in Wonderland themed indoor playground, called Wonderland, which has characters like a bunny, butterfly and caterpillar in a garden setting.

Children can cool off at the water fountain play area called The Cove in the mall's Basement Two. The area also includes an amphitheatre where community events can be held.

To celebrate the past, present and future of Punggol district, more than 400 Punggol residents contributed drawings which were reproduced as designs on mosaic titles and put up on the amphitheatre wall as mural.

Come 2017, a wet and dry outdoor playground Happy Park overlooking the waters will be opened.

The mall developers - Far East Organisation, Sekisui House and Frasers Centrepoint - will be donating $60,000 to the Punggol Coast CCC Community Development and Welfare Fund. The funds will provide assistance to the needy through education bursary awards, kindergarten financial assistance and grassroots-run educational programmes.

kchitra@sph.com.sg

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