‘Sauna’ cabin outside HDB flat a hot topic online; authorities trying to get owner to remove it

SINGAPORE - The authorities are trying to get a home owner in Serangoon to declutter the space outside her Housing Board unit, which includes removing a wooden “sauna” cabin that has been there for years.

The cabin has been a hot topic among netizens after a photo of it was circulated online recently, sparking questions about whether such items were allowed in common spaces of HDB blocks.

The Straits Times understands that the cabin belongs to the unit directly across the corridor from it, but no one answered the door when ST visited the flat in the evening of July 10.

Placed on top of a platform, the cabin seemed wide enough to fit up to two adults, and appeared to be no longer in use. Online searches on the name that appears on the control panel on the outside of the cabin shows a brand of sauna products.

There were also more than 40 potted plants surrounding the flat and lining the corridor nearby, along with other items such as cabinets, bicycles and a sofa. Red strips of paper with Chinese words on them were put up on the wall outside the unit.

The distance between the wall and a cabinet placed along the corridor was about 1m.

In response to ST’s queries, the Marine Parade Town Council said it has advised the owner to reduce the clutter outside her unit over the years, and that the owner has “made some effort in doing so”, without elaborating on the details.

“We are in the midst of engaging and working with the owner to remove the (sauna) fixture and further reduce the clutter,” said the town council. “We are monitoring the situation closely.”

The town council also urged residents to avoid installing unauthorised structures in common areas, reduce clutter, and to not obstruct corridors, staircases, and its landings.

Neighbours on the same floor declined to be interviewed when approached by ST, but a 20-year-old resident had earlier told Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao that other residents have complained to the authorities about the clutter, but the situation has not changed much.

In 2019, a flat owner in Tampines who

converted the doorstep of his property into a fish tank for his koi carp dismantled the tank,

after his appeal to keep it was rejected.