This is an urgent appeal to preserve our Community Garden at Ang Mo Kio Town Garden West.

It is under an imminent threat of being demolished.

1.       We are appealing to stave off the demolition / reclamation by nParks.

2.       Alternatively, we are appealing to have an adjacent garden plot created at the same premises to continue the Community Garden.

This Community Garden is a thriving, 10 year old, award winning vegetable and herb garden in Ang Mo Kio Town Garden West (AMKTGW).

We have good residents from all walks of life nurturing this garden. The community of gardeners have fostered a Kampong spirit among different races, nationalities, young to old, professionals to home makers, of varied ethnicity, and social classes, to weave a social fabric that is a good representation of Singapore’s diverse demographic.
The fruits of their labour is represented in the pictorial posts below.

Unfortunately, in July 2020 while we were in the thick of dealing with the pandemic, National Parks called a meeting with representatives of the garden to inform us that the Neighbourhood Committee, under whose auspices the garden was run, had withdrawn their support.

Over the next one year, we tried to meet the demands of NParks, and the PA and we thought we had an opportunity to continue with the community garden. However, in July 2021, we were told that NParks will be taking the community garden back, to make way for an allotment garden, giving the garden a clear out date of 31 August 2021.
This is as abrupt as it is shocking, seemingly an eviction.

 “An allotment garden consists of raised planter beds that are rented out individually to people who wish to have their own space to garden.” - nParks notice
 
An allotment garden is very different from a Community Garden as it requires no interaction with other allotment gardeners. As described above in the nParks text, it serves an Individual wish to garden.

It is unfathomable that an active Community Garden would have to make way for an allotment garden – especially where there is ample space for both to co-exist. We have suggested an adjacent plot of land in AMKTGW, currently unused, that can be built up as the allotment garden or a new Community Garden.

The current Community Garden has, over a course of 10 years, become an iconic gateway to everyone who walks the gardens and traverses from the Terraced estates to the HDB heartlands. The roots of the garden are deeply and widely entrenched in the Community, much like the iconic Tembusu. It would be more than a shame – an injustice, to uproot such a flourishing Garden which has nurtured a community with the fruits of collective labour. 

The Community Garden achieves many of the national narratives towards active aging and silver support. Especially as we emerge from the COVID-19 situation, this is a place that our elder citizens find meaningful contribution towards a purpose.

Since the announcement by nParks to reclaim the garden space, many of the active seniors have been under much distress and anxiety over the fate of their haven. We wish such social support structures, especially catered for our senior residents, will not be displaced unwittingly.

Unfortunately, nParks has thus far rejected our proposals with not much sympathy to the seniors or the patrons of the garden.

Please help us to raise awareness and support for this Community Garden – for our senior generation and future generation of gardeners.

Please like us at Facebook:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=119238230387237&id=100069031809904
The fruits of our labour (Photo Wall):
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=109337201377340&id=100069031809904

Thank you.