Yishun residents unhappy after 12-year-old trees heavily pruned: ‘Now it’s sunny and hot’

SINGAPORE: Residents living in an apartment building at Yishun complained that the sudden pruning of 30 trees, which used to provide shade for them, detracted from the building’s appearance and left the trees bare.

A resident reported to Shin Min Daily News that the tree pruning work began on Sep 7. This left the trees that used to provide shade for the people bare, making it hot for the residents. 

“People often stroll along this walkway, and children also play here. It used to be beautiful and cool, but now it’s sunny and hot,” the resident admitted. 

The resident further added that these trees had been planted for about 12 years, and that they were four stories tall. Due to the pruning work, more than 10 residents are dissatisfied. Another resident admitted that the pruning work did not help with the smog lately, and the sunlight now shines directly into their living room. 

“We pay management fees. They should have consulted with us before cutting down the trees. They shouldn’t have just cut off all the branches. Now all that’s left are bare trunks, which is very unsightly,” a resident declared. 

When the resident contacted the apartment management, a representative admitted that trimming the trees is part of their routine maintenance task and it does not require residents’ consent every single time. 

The management also claimed that the maintenance was carefully planned, and that the trees and greenery will be restored before the festive season. 

In similar news related to HDB complaints, there was a report where a one-metre-long beehive was seen hanging in a huge tree at Bukit Batok Estate. 

Reporters discovered a large beehive attached to a branch about two stories above the ground in the area, and that there were bees flying around the hive. This raised concerns among residents about whether they might get stung by bees at any time.

Read more about the news story here.