The majority of residents in Bishan are in favour of the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) plan to build a nursing home at Bishan Street 13, according to Wong Kan Seng, MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC.
“My view is that a great majority of the residents who attended the dialogue on Sunday supported the Government’s plan to build nursing homes to meet the needs of our aging population,” he said in an article by Yahoo! Singapore.
Mr Wong noted that there is “a higher proportion of residents above 65 now compared to the national average” in Bishan East and the number will grow further over the next few years.
A group of residents recently petitioned against the plan for a number of reasons.
In response, Mr Wong said: “I can appreciate why they are unhappy because they have been used to the unobstructed view from their flat for many years”.
However, he reminded concerned residents that the vacant land used as a “football field” (pictured) is only temporary. He added that the Citizens’ Consultative Committee (CCC) pays a yearly fee to use it.
Still, the feedback from residents will be taken into consideration before MOH makes its final decision.
Meanwhile, several residents have expressed support for the plan, but do not want it built near their flats, citing over-congestion, blockage of airflow and proximity to a school as the main reasons.
Image: The proposed site of a new elderly facility in Bishan Street 13 is surrounded by four HDB flats and a school. (Yahoo! photo)
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