Club Street is like a ghost town on weekends

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An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:

I was at the place over the weekend and it is so quiet compared to a year ago.

A number of the cafes, pubs had closed and those open has many empty tables.

Other than some Ang Mos, there are little locals.

Quote:
Club Street looks set to be S'pore's Lan Kwai Fong



Some label the area as an accident waiting to happen.

With wave after wave of trendy restaurants and bars setting up shop along the Ann Siang Road and Club Street intersection over the last few years, the dining enclave has just as quickly burgeoned into a precarious jumble of rowdy diners, camera-toting tourists, irate taxi drivers and large goods vehicles trying to do their deliveries.

Now, at last, some relief is in sight. In a letter sent to the area's stakeholders on March 5, the Urban Redevelopment Authority said that it would be temporarily closing off to traffic parts of the two streets from 7pm to 1am on Friday and Saturday evenings.

The closure will be implemented on a three-month trial basis between April and June, though the exact start date has yet to be determined, according to the URA. Temporary barriers will be erected on all ends of the closed-off streets, and they will be manned by CISCO street wardens, its letter said.

"Club Street and Ann Siang Road are two very popular streets for F&B, boutique shops and community uses which are nestled in the beautifully conserved shophouses that line the streets. We have received positive feedback from the stakeholders on the idea to pedestrianise some parts of the streets during certain hours and make them more people-friendly," says a URA spokesperson.

Most tenants and visitors along the stretch welcomed the proposed trial, agreeing that it will bring added vibrancy to the area, while allowing street visitors to more fully appreciate the area's historic charm.

Comparing the area to nearby Duxton Hill, also a cluster of conservation shophouses set on sloping roads, Deliciae Hospitality's Olivier Bendel, who runs bars and restaurants in both areas, says: "People love Duxton because it is a hidden gem where people can run away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Hopefully Club Street will become one too."

Local answer to Lan Kwai Fong

Others say the area has potential to be turned into Singapore's Lan Kwai Fong, a network of paved party streets in Hong Kong, to which end several F&B owners hope that the authorities will further consider letting them place their tables out onto the street.

"It's pretty pointless if they close off the streets but don't let us fully utilise it," says Henry Gomez, co-owner of Gem bar, which sits right on the intersection of both streets. The other charm of the area, Mr Gomez and Bartini manager Barnarby Murdoch say, is the non-competitive cameraderie among most of the businesses there. Last year, five bars on the strip came together to collectively hold a Mardi Gras-themed street party - something which Mr Murdoch hopes to revive for Cinco de Mayo this May in conjunction with the road closure. "We have quite a mature dining crowd here, so it won't be as noisy or chaotic as other nightlife spots like Clarke Quay or Zouk," he says. The area's latest tenant, Marc Nicholson, whose heritage barbershop Truefitt and Hill opens on Ann Siang Road at the end of the month, also offered to add a barbershop quartet to the street festivities.

Aside from the occasional block party, Corrado Riccio, group operations director for the Mangiatutto Group, which runs the Los Primos and Cugini restaurants on Club Street, hopes that that the street will take on a relaxed "open living room" vibe on regular weekends, "where just strolling, looking around, discovering small new corners can be a pleasure in itself," he says.

Office workers along the street also cheered the URA's plans. Filipino architect Christian Abulencia, who has worked in Club Street for five years, says the move is well-timed, as there wasn't a critical mass of dining spots to warrant a road closure a few years ago.

Though he usually doesn't hear any street noise from his office, it may affect those who have to work late, he suggests, "but it will be a refreshing change to come out to a lively street after sitting at your desk for nine straight hours."

Like him, Australian tourist Jerry Crichton said the area would do well to be further spruced up with more greenery and benches for people to take in the heritage architecture.

It is not just the restaurants who will benefit from the late-night road closure. Though womenswear boutique Mythology closes at 7pm daily, its owner Apsara Oswal said she may look into extending operating hours to 9pm on weekends to help breed a "quaint, night bazaar" atmosphere on the stretch.

Amid enthusiasm for the trial are anxieties too.

Besides the obvious concern over increased noise levels, Kelvin Ong, a stockbroker who has lived in Emerald Garden condominium, which sits at the mouth of the affected stretch of road, for 12 years, feels that the road closure may result in an increased presence of "stray drunkards" who will litter the street with glass bottles or wander into the condominium and compromise its residents' security. "Who will be responsible for cleaning up the streets?" he asks.

Christopher Chong, from the Emerald Gardens management office, further worries that with the rest of the street blocked off, there will be a pile-up of cars making a U-turn or of taxis picking up passengers directly in front of the condominium, obstructing both residents and fire engine or ambulance access in the event of an emergency.

A few other businesses are wary about the reduction in the number of parking spots along the street. At least 20 parking lots along the two streets will be rendered inaccessible by the closure. In its letter to tenants, the URA stated that cars parked in buildings and by the kerbside in the affected area will be able to leave the area through the temporary barriers, but those left parked by the kerbside after 7pm may be subject to parking summons.

"The most challenging period will be during the rainy season. We will have to see how we can introduce a service to pick our guests up in the rain," says Toni Rossetti of Italian restaurant Noti. Tan Hon Kiat, a trustee of the Chinese Weekly Entertainment Club, which sits atop a dead-end lane off Club Street that will be completely blocked off by the road closure, says his club has always had a valet parking service for its members, so it will likely be unaffected. About 10 cars currently park within its premises every weekend.




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