We refer to the letters by Mr Lionel Seng, "Do more to manage crowds at SkyVille@Dawson's rooftop gardens" (Dec 4), and Ms Tan Ee Leen, "Let public have access to rooftop gardens" (Dec 10).

HDB estates are designed with community spaces to encourage social interactions and facilitate recreational activities, and sky gardens are an example of such spaces. They are intended to be open and accessible for both residents and the public to use, and not just residents of the block or estate.

As is the case for void decks and other common areas in HDB estates, public access is not restricted for sky gardens. For residential blocks that are above 40 storeys, sky gardens also serve as a safe holding area in case of a fire. This is a fire safety regulatory requirement.

For Pinnacle@Duxton, it was assessed at the project design stage that there was a need to limit access to its skybridges. This was in view of various factors, such as the development's central location, its iconic status as the tallest HDB residential building in Singapore, as well as the novelty of the panoramic city views on offer. Each of these factors, being unique to this project, will attract crowds.

In the case of sky gardens at SkyVille@Dawson and other existing HDB developments, there are no plans to restrict access as doing so would fundamentally alter the open and inclusive character of our HDB estates.

Nonetheless, we acknowledge the potential for disamenities at sky gardens. HDB, together with the Tanjong Pagar Town Council and the relevant agencies, has stepped up patrols at the Skyville@Dawson sky gardens to address feedback from residents on crowding there.

Since September, six notices of composition have been issued against individuals who flouted Covid-19 safe management measures. The crowd situation at the sky gardens has since improved.

We will continue to support the Tanjong Pagar Town Council and residents' committee to monitor and manage the situation. Residents who have non-urgent municipal issues to report, or observe breaches in safe management measures at the sky gardens, may submit their feedback via the OneService app.

Ong Jia Yang

General Manager (Queensway Branch)

Housing and Development Board