Editor's note: The owner of the four houses in Sentosa Cove contacted us after the article was published. While they declined to provide a statement, the article's headline has been updated following their feedback.
Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg
As I drove to Sentosa Cove, I was prepared to be intimidated by my latest interviewees, a couple who lives in the posh estate.
The wife, who asked to be referred to only as "Tan”, sent a rather angry email to Mothership highlighting the "blatant favouritism" that the management of the gated community has allegedly shown to a particular resident who owns four houses along Cove Drive.
The issue? Well, the multi-home owner — whom we will refer to as Z — is allegedly treating the space between his houses as his own. Naturally, it incurred the wrath of his neighbours, particularly Tan and her husband who moved into the estate in February 2016.
I met Tan at the gates outside the estate. Sentosa Cove isn't open to the public so she hopped into my car with her access card in hand, tapped it at the guard post and we were in.
As we drove through the estate, I started to see why living in Sentosa Cove living is considered a mark of material success.
We passed many majestic homes, a number of them with buggies parked on their front lawn. And snuggled in many porches was not one but a couple of continental cars.
I saw families taking a weekday afternoon bike ride along the edge of the reclaimed land that faces the sea and beaches on Sentosa, which, by the way, is just a five-minute cycle away.
Tan directed me through the estate, and we soon arrived at the site which have been the source of much of her grief lately, and the reason she invited me into this exclusive enclave in the first place.
The "public park"
To give you an idea of the contested space, here's are some images:
One side of the plot of land that was taken by the multi-home owner. Image via Alfie Kwa.
The space is actually a "public park" that is sandwiched between Z's four houses. A road, Cove Drive, runs through the middle of the park.
In the past five years, Tan and her husband noticed how Z accessorised the simple plot of land, which is a five-minute walk from their home, by planting carpet grass and fresh flowers, and installed giraffe statues and a swing set, giving the place a sort of exotic savannah aesthetic.
Flowers at the park. Image via Alfie Kwa.
As I walked through the park I thought it’d be a great place to have a picnic or read a book.
I noticed that the aesthetics of the park linked the houses that enclose it quite seamlessly. The houses had similar facades and matching side gates that connect Z's backyards to the park — further reinforcing the feel that the space is less of a park and more of a private garden that came with the four houses.
Giraffe statues at the park. Image via Alfie Kwa.
A swing at the park. Image via Alfie Kwa.
Neighbours are not happy
Tan and her husband said that their issue is not with the decorations, but rather, the “unacceptable” way that their neighbour had taken control of the plot of land.
Both claimed that Z had effectively made the plot an extension of his houses, both in his personalised maintenance of it and — more disconcertingly — in how he dictated who could use it.
Tan's husband claimed that once, he was taking a walk around the park when Z shouted at him to get off the plot immediately.
"It's public domain, don't abuse it," said Tan’s husband, recalling the incident.
Image via Alfie Kwa.
Each year, the Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) collects maintenance fees from all Sentosa Cove residents. The Tans are no exception, paying S$2,800 — an amount determined by the size of their house.
“We are all paying a fee to the SDC, so why is he allowed to control an extra share of land?”
The couple was undoubtedly frustrated. But I wondered if they were the only ones who felt this way.
I reached out to 42-year-old Heng, a father of two young girls aged five and eight, who has been living in Sentosa Cove for eight years now.
He said that the park would be a great place to take a stroll within the estate, but he finds Z's control of it “irritating”. Recalling a rude encounter with Z, Heng claimed that his children were chased off the park when they were playing in it:
“If the park was done up out of goodwill for the residents, they should get to appreciate it.”
Gate from the owner’s home to the park. Image via Alfie Kwa.
Another resident, 34-year-old Lee, said that she had no issues with the park until her young daughter tripped over a bunch of wires in December last year, leaving a cut on the girl’s arm. The wires were apparently installed by Z to power some lights on a tree.
The incident left Lee concerned about the safety of the park, particularly the extra decorations installed by Z, and it appeared that this sentiment is also held by other residents in Sentosa Cove.
Lee subsequently wrote a complaint to SDC, but according to her, nothing has been done.
“What if something happens to one of our kids? Who do we talk to?... You know, we can't go to SDC because clearly they’re not doing anything about it. And can we go to that guy? I don't think he’ll be able to help.”
The end of the park that faces the water. Image via Alfie Kwa.
Trying to contact the homeowner
I walked around the plot of land, wary of the angry resident who had apparently chased his neighbours out of the park — but I wasn't approached by anyone.
Then, I spotted an elderly gentleman starting the engine of an old-school Rolls Royce at one of the four houses.
I walked up to him and asked, “Are you the owner of this house?”
No, he said. He was just hired to clean the owner's car.
Not long after, though, a smartly-dressed lady walked out of the house and asked me who I was looking for.
I told her that I was following up on a complaint about how the owner of the house had taken over the adjacent park. Unperturbed, the lady — who said that she works for the owner — asked for my business card and told me that she would pass it on.
That was the last I heard from anyone from that house.
Why couldn't they have gone to another park?
Sentosa Cove is such a beautiful place, and my initial thought was that there surely are other nearby parks and spaces to have a walk or play with your kids.
But, after driving down the entire length of Cove Drive, I noticed that this might not be true. There are two other open spaces in Sentosa Cove but they are significantly smaller and bare.
Another plot of land along Cove Drive. Image via Alfie Kwa.
Another plot of land along Cove Drive. Image via Alfie Kwa.
Also, the park in question is located along Cove Grove, a popular seaside walking trail that connects the private residences directly to Tanjong Beach. Many residents cross that park and so, in a sense, it is an “unavoidable” route for them, said Tan.
Hoping for a resolution
After my visit to Sentosa Cove, I contacted the Sentosa Cove Resort Management (SCRM) for more information on the case.
Did the multi-house owner have SCRM’s approval to decorate the park? And had SCRM taken any action to ensure that he met the conditions by addressing safety hazards and keeping the common areas open?
Unfortunately, I could not get answers because a representative from SCRM said that they were unable to comment on the issue.
Instead, they explained that there are regulations governing the use of common areas at Sentosa Cove:
“Residents who wish to utilise common areas, such as for decorations, are required to seek the approval of SCRM for such uses. If allowed, these residents will be required to abide by SCRM’s conditions of approval, such as ensuring that decorations do not pose safety hazards and these common areas should remain open to the residents of Sentosa Cove.”
Neighbourly disputes are common, and while this happened on a much larger scale than the usual quibble between neighbours, the frustration that Tan and her fellow aggrieved neighbours stem from a familiar place — perceived inaction by those in authority.
For now, they can only continue filing complaints with the management — as they've been doing for years — and hope that this neighbourly conflict, a persistent stain on their idyllic life in paradise, will have a resolution soon.
Image of the Sentosa Cove Village sign. Image via Alfie Kwa.
Top images taken by Alfie Kwa.