 Clementi
Park was built in the 1980s. It is a rambling, spacious and
spread-out estate. There isn't a condo like it anywhere in
Singapore. In the heart of my condo lies the unspoilt woods of
Clementi Park. The hillside terrain, mature trees and park-like
atmosphere would never be planned in the hustle bustle world of
today with its too-close buildings and utilitarian maximisation of
land.Apart from the Clementi Park hill, the blocks of the condo were
built to match the undulating character of the land. Blocks were
built into the hillside so that a fourth floor apartment could be
four storeys high from the front, but on road level at the rear.
Unique stepped structures with charm and quaintness. Surrounded by
utter greenery.
Today, we marvel at conservation houses of a hundred years ago for
their historical value. Too many of those were demolished before we
could fully appreciate what the loss of them would mean to us. I
wonder if fifty years from now, our children's children will find
unique estates like Clementi Park of historical value
architecturally? In any case, for its stunning internal nature
parks, it is already worth preserving.
 In
view of the urban renewal which is happening to Singapore's old
condos at an astonishing rate, perhaps we should stop the demolition
of mature estates for now. Enough. Let's look at the buildings of
the last two, three or four decades with a different eye. They are a
part of our history too!
SUSAN PRIOR
"En bloc sales do NOT favor the resident homeowner because of the
inconvenience of moving and the loss of other intangibles such as
sentiment and location; but more than that, there is risk: the need
to purchase a replacement several months after selling en bloc and
refit the new property may outweigh any monetary gain as markets are
continually rising."
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