Downstairs kids’ chaos “noisier than pickleball – and it never stops at night!”

SINGAPORE: Residents of an HDB block in Ang Mo Kio recently complained that a group of children are using the area downstairs as a playground–a space in which they can play football, ride scooters, play with each other, and make some noise. People living in the HDB block described the noise as ‘noisier than playing pickleball’, and some even spent their daytime killing time in coffee shops and only returned to their homes at night to avoid the noise. 

When Shin Min Daily News visited the HDB block, a 73-year-old man reported that over the past year, several families would frequently gather downstairs–adults will chat with each other while their children will go play. The resident admitted that the noise made by adults chatting does not have an impact on others’ daily lives, but the children who make noises are up even after 10 in the evening, disturbing the resting time of the residents. 

“They were so noisy that I couldn’t sleep, so I had to stay at a nearby coffee shop until after 11 p.m. before going home. Sometimes when I came back late at night, they were still there playing,” the resident declared. 

He added: “Especially during school holidays, the children play even later, disturbing the residents’ rest.” 

The man also reported the subject matter to the town council in hopes that they could intervene with the issue. Authorities stated that they would send someone to communicate with the children’s parents to avoid such inconvenience once again. 

Noises from pickleball

In separate news, it was reported that the noise from pickleballs has been a major nuisance to many Singaporeans for the last two years, and it has been affecting their everyday lives. 

According to some residents, the pickleball games start as early as dawn and continue until 6 p.m. Furthermore,  another group of pickleball players will arrive shortly after will start playing around 9 p.m. 

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