ST : Marymount homes to go by 2013

19 JAN 2011,

Marymount homes to go by 2013

Elderly retiree in tears over news of land acquisition

By Chong Zi Liang & Kimberly Spykerman

TWO years ago, residents of Marymount Terrace heard rumours that their land would be acquired by the Government.

Long-time resident Kevin Tan, 47, said a family had tried to sell their home then but were unable to do so. Checks by the lawyers showed that the land had been earmarked for future redevelopment.

'We were trying to get confirmation of this as early as possible so that we could make plans,' said Mr Tan, who works in the military.

He, together with other neighbours, even approached their mayor Zainudin Nordin to try and pin down the dates.

Yesterday morning, the rumours were proven true when government officials turned up at about 25 terrace houses to serve land acquisition notices, informing residents that their neighbourhood would be demolished for the construction of the North-South Expressway.

When The Straits Times visited the row of three-storey freehold homes along Marymount Road, a notice of land acquisition from the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) was pasted outside every home.

The residents have to move out by January 2013.

Residents were also given a letter informing them that meetings to determine compensation for their properties would be held next month.

It will be pegged to the market value as at the date of the acquisition of the land, said the SLA.

Mr Zainudin, who met residents last week to let them know about the impending acquisition, said he will continue to assist them.

'I will let the authorities know the issues that are pertinent to the residents,' he added.

Marymount Terrace is not the only affected neighbourhood. Condominiums such as Seletaris, Castle Green, Nuovo and Bullion Park in the Yio Chu Kang and Sembawang areas will have parts of their fences, boundary walls and grass verges affected by acquisition - but residents get to keep their homes.

High among the worries of Marymount Terrace residents is hunting for a new home.

'Everyone knows that property prices are so high nowadays, where am I going to find the money to get a new home? All my money is here,' said a resident who wanted to be known only as Mrs Lee, referring to the terrace house she bought 10 years ago.

Said Mr Tan: 'I hope the Government can help us find places to settle down...the market is hot now so we will have to join the queue and I don't know if we can get a place.'

Some residents, like Madam E. Koh, 67, found it hard to accept that they would have to leave less than two years after the nearby Marymount MRT station was completed.

'We put up with the drilling and pounding for years. Just as we are about to enjoy the convenience, this happens,' said the retiree.

Then, there is the pain of cutting ties with a familiar area.

One resident in her 80s, who asked to be known only as Madam Ho, sobbed when she heard the news.

Her first thought was how she would not be able to visit her neighbour every day for coffee and a chat once they no longer live side by side.

'It's hard for senior citizens like us to move around. After 16 years of living together, it's hard to just let go,' she said.

At the Marymount Convent, the living quarters of the Good Shepherd nuns and a nursing home are affected.

The nuns said they were 'grieving' at the prospect of losing their home. They declined to say more.

They held a meeting yesterday to discuss future plans. It is understood that the Marymount Convent School - within the convent's grounds - will not be affected.

Once the folks at Marymount Convent and Marymount Terrace leave, excavation will begin to build part of the North-South Expressway tunnel.

ziliang@sph.com.sg

kimspyke@sph.com.sg