No mall in Singapore 'sleepy village', please

Wong Sook-yee (Ms), Straits Times Forum 14 Sep 08;

I read with great consternation last Sunday's article, 'Where 5,000 expats call home', which reported that the Serangoon Gardens Village complex would be torn down to 'make way for a big mall'.

We have malls everywhere, surely we do not need one in Serangoon Gardens?

I live in the estate and I love its 'sleepy village' atmosphere. It was even better before, when we knew the owners of the provision shops and would drop by just to chat without buying anything.

It is still not too bad now, even though 'modernity' has arrived in the form of Prima Deli, Bengawan Solo, and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, among others.

But we have to stop somewhere. The enclave is steadily losing its cosiness and character, and I say, enough is enough.

There are malls aplenty in the nearby AMK Hub, Heartland Mall and Hougang Point.

We do not need one right in the heart of Serangoon Gardens.