Singapore — Online criticism has been directed at a town council in Woodlands for their decision to partially block off the void deck of a public housing block in order to stop ball play. This was done in response to complaints about noise from the locals.
On November 23, TMSG, a blog covering sports, entertainment, and lifestyle, received a message from an unidentified resident of Block 638 Woodlands Ring Road expressing his displeasure with the action taken by the Sembawang Town Council. This brought the matter to the attention of a larger audience.
According to TMSG, the resident thought it was “ridiculous” that the town council had closed off a sizable portion of the void deck because kids had been playing football there.
Additionally, he distributed the town council’s notice of the closure.
The notice, dated November 3, announced that the town council was investigating complaints of schoolchildren “kicking ball and shouting while playing” that were considered a “noise nuisance.”
According to the report, students persisted in playing at the void deck in spite of prior attempts to “educate” them by posting “No Ball Game” signs and warnings from local council officers and grassroots leaders in Zone 8 not to do so.
Consequently, the town council resolved to temporarily prevent non-compliance by barricading off a portion of Block 638’s void deck.
The notice said that “once the situation improves,” the temporary hoarding would be removed and that “the void deck is still available for use for weddings, funerals, and other functions upon booking for use.”
A notice on the wall of the void deck at Block 638, Woodlands Ring Road, seen on Nov 30, 2023. The notice informs residents of the reason behind the barricading of the area.
A check by TODAY revealed that the orange safety net was still in place at the void deck on Thursday (Nov 30).
‘NO FUN ALLOWED’
Users of the online forum Reddit have taken notice of the problem and expressed conflicting views about it. Since it was posted last Sunday, a discussion thread on the subject has received 203 comments and 303 upvotes.
Many of them appeared to disagree with the actions of the Sembawang Town Council, emphasizing how little opportunities there are for sports and outdoor activities for young people in Singapore.
“For the kids, they play (at the) void deck likely because that’s the only option for them,” one of the top comments said. They are not going to pay the money to reserve private cages, and there aren’t many available public ones.
A few of them contended that kids ought to be permitted to play at empty decks at less disruptive times, like late afternoon or early evening.
The residents who lodged complaints were chastised by some for “making a mountain out of a molehill.”
“No fun allowed” was criticized by one user. “This is way too extreme,” said someone else. How come the ****** living in the block and the (council) have so much power?
Concerns were also expressed about potentially impeding Singapore’s football culture’s growth even more, citing instances from other nations where street soccer was crucial in fostering interest and fundamental abilities.
“This is why whatever World Cup dream we have is dead,” a Reddit user wrote.
However, some Redditors applauded the decision for reasons like noise disturbance for night shift workers and worries about the area’s cleanliness, resident safety, and potential damage.
One person related, saying, “I’m quite against letting kids play ball there because I’ve been hit on the head by a stray football while walking past a void deck.”
Another person made the following argument: “Maybe because if (they) hit it (with the ball), the lights could get damaged or the ball would leave dirt marks on the ceiling and walls that would be difficult to clean.”
A few people bemoaned the seeming decline in communal areas within public housing estates and recalled their early years of playing football at the void deck with neighbors.
“I remember the good days (where) we played half-court football at the void deck wall,” a Redditor posted. The goal post has two slippers. No maximum height. Chinese, Indian, and Malay players together.
Another person pointed out: “Weren’t void decks initially conceptualised as a social space for residents? We’ve really come a long way from that (and not in a good way).”
References
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