S'pore man, 69, builds 'mini Haw Par Villa' in Woodlands, town council aware of matter

A 69-year-old man living in Woodlands turned a shared public space in the area into what was deemed a "mini Haw Par Villa", with various decorations and potted plants displayed.

Shin Min Daily News reported that the man, Zheng Liangdi (transliterated), used discarded items such as children's toy cars, animal sculptures, and windmills to create a "miniature tiger and leopard villa" on the lawn outside his house.

Decorations, potted plants

The area is located near Block 824, Woodlands Street 81, Shin Min reported.

Upon visiting, Shin Min observed that it was surrounded by ropes and poles, divided into two parts.

The part closer to the HDB flats was filled with potted plants, and the part closer to the road had a small workshop and a fan, Shin Min noted.

In addition, the "mini villa" contained about 50 decorations, including children's toy cars, animal sculptures, and windmills.

Continued to develop hobby

Speaking to Shin Min, Zheng said he had previously lived in a kampong, where he enjoyed tending to flowers and plants.

He then continued to develop his hobby after moving to an HDB flat.

"At first, I just wanted to protect the environment by collecting other people's [scrap materials] to decorate," said Zheng.

He added that after people saw the "little garden", they took the initiative to give him their scrap materials, and as a result, he displayed "more and more of it there".

Marked on Google Maps

This led to its nickname "mini Haw Par Villa", Zheng said, adding that it was mainly because a tourist thought it looked similar and used that term.

According to Shin Min, a neighbour who heard this, printed out the name and made a sign to hang up.

The area was also marked with its nickname on Google Maps, Zheng said.

Shared public spaces

He added that the potted plants and decorations had previously been placed on the lawn in front of his neighbour's house, and the neighbour apparently had no objections.

Zheng moved the potted plants to his own front door after issues with where the boundaries for his items would be.

The Sembawang Town Council stated that it was aware of the matter and had taken steps to address it.

"The placement of items on grass verges and other common areas is not permitted, as these spaces are intended for public use."

The resident has been advised on the matter, and the town council officers have conducted site visits and follow-ups to "seek compliance" as part of ongoing estate management.

"We will continue to monitor the situation and take the necessary actions to address the matter."

Top photos via Shin Min Daily News