Category Archives: General

Difference between managing private and public flats

I REFER to Monday’s commentary, ‘En bloc debate, HK style’. Our laws are sufficient to run our private estates. In most management corporations (MCs), lobbying for support is prevalent where most members are inactive. Therefore, the estate is run by a minority, who are unpaid volunteers.

It is therefore natural that the active members will run the estate in their own interests. However, the law lays down strict requirements to document support obtained by lobbying, to ensure such lobbying is valid. This is laid down clearly in the First Schedule of the Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act.

This brings me to a point about the powers the management council has under the law, to compel dissenting owners to comply with the house rules of the MCs.

An application to the Strata Titles Board for an order is not costly. As long as a house rule is properly enacted, and owners are given ample notice of the Continue reading

Back then, it did not even have LRT

TWELVE years ago, it was a sleepy, out-of-the-way estate without even an LRT line.

That was back when Dr Teo Ho Pin was first elected as Member of Parliament for Bukit Panjang. Shortly after, life began to slowly flow into the estate, with the LRT starting its runs in 1999.

Come 2015, it will be connected directly to the MRT system when the Bukit Panjang station, to be located near Ten Mile Junction, is completed.

This, Dr Teo hopes, will spur the constituency’s development – and his vision for its first town centre, finally.

As “the heart of the whole town”, it would integrate bus, LRT and MRT services as well as commercial and business establishments, said Dr Teo, who is also Mayor for the North West District.

Drawing inspiration from the likes of Ang Mo Kio Hub and Jurong Point, he suggested setting up a lifestyle or entertainment hub for Continue reading