SINGAPORE – A mobile grocery will serve residents in Tengah three days a week as part of interim measures taken by the Housing Board to improve convenience while other amenities in the estate are being built.
Bread, canned food and toiletries are among the essential items residents can buy from the FairPrice grocery truck, which will be at the Plantation Acres neighbourhood on Wednesdays and Fridays, and Plantation Grange on Thursdays, from 3pm to 8pm.
It will operate until the second quarter of 2024, when the supermarket in the Plantation Plaza neighbourhood centre is expected to open, the HDB said on Dec 13.
The centre, located across the road from the two developments, will also have a foodcourt, clinic, shops and enrichment centres, which will open progressively.
Vending machines with hot food such as nasi lemak were installed by HDB in December.
The keys for 2,019 units – about 54 per cent of the 3,753 units in the first three Build-To-Order (BTO) projects in Tengah – were collected by Dec 5, HDB said. The third project is Plantation Village.
Mr Rafiq Sumri, 29, who moved into his four-room flat in Plantation Acres in November, said that while the FairPrice truck is a good initiative, he prefers to take a bus to Bukit Batok for grocery runs. “It’s about a 10-minute bus ride to Bukit Batok, where there’s a Sheng Siong (supermarket) with wider variety, as well as Le Quest shopping mall,” said the patient service associate.
Safety officer Zulfadli Rawi, 28, who moved into his Plantation Acres four-room flat in October, also prefers doing the same. It is a 15-minute walk to Sheng Siong, he said.
The Straits Times reported in October that Tengah residents had highlighted the inaccessibility of public transport in the new town. A poll of 59 residents found that some wanted a direct bus service to Jurong East.
HDB said on Dec 13 that two bus services were introduced to connect Tengah residents to transport hubs and amenities. Service 992, which started operations in September, takes residents to Bukit Batok MRT station and bus interchange, and Le Quest mall. Service 870, introduced in November, goes to Jurong Town Hall bus interchange.
These routes will be extended as more residents move into Tengah, HDB said. For instance, when the Plantation Crescent road is fully opened, bus service 870 will stop opposite Plantation Village and service 992 will stop outside Plantation Grange.
HDB deputy chief executive of building Johnny Wong said amenities and major transport facilities will take some time to be built up. “This is unlike most other BTO developments, which are built within existing HDB towns, where there is already developed infrastructure, as well as existing amenities and facilities close by for residents’ use.”
Residents will also be able to take the Jurong Region Line in the future, with Tengah and Hong Kah MRT stations slated to open in 2027, and Tengah Plantation and Tengah Park stations expected to be completed in 2028.
Noise and dust from ongoing works in common areas and nearby construction sites have also been a cause for concern for residents that ST spoke to.
Mr Rafiq, who lives with his wife and two daughters – a newborn and the other aged three – said he does not open his windows. He added that he bought two air purifiers out of concern for his baby’s health.
“We sometimes also hear construction noise at 2am or 3am. But I know what I signed up for, and I’m prepared to move to my in-laws’ home if the noise gets worse,” he said.
Plantation Grange resident Dinesh Sailan, 37, said he vacuums his four-room flat daily, and even cleans the common corridor outside his home to keep the dust away.
“We also have to use wet wipes to clean the house. Otherwise, we can feel the dust under our feet,” said the compliance manager, who lives with his wife.
HDB said it is working closely with agencies and contractors to minimise construction disamenities. “As most of Tengah town is still in the construction phase, some noise and dust are inevitable,” it said.
Contractors now wash the roads twice weekly, up from once a week, to mitigate the issue of dust. Those at HDB construction sites in Tengah were also instructed to ensure debris and dust are kept within their work sites as far as possible.
Ms Arissa Yew, 27, a communications executive, said that despite the dust and noise, she is looking forward to moving into her four-room flat in February.
“Tengah is still an up-and-coming town, so I’m prepared for construction noise and dust for at least the first year. The new bus services also make it quite convenient to reach amenities,” she added.
