Written Answer by Ministry of National Development on homeowners selling their flats or private properties to rightsize

Sep 10, 2018

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for National Development 

(a) how regularly are trees along roads inspected and pruned to ensure that they do not overshadow street lamps; and

(b) how many instances of feedback have been received from the public concerning trees covering street lamps in the past year.

Answer:

NParks oversees about 2 million urban trees across Singapore. Depending on their species, trees are pruned at least once or twice a year prior to the monsoon seasons.  NParks also conducts regular health inspections on its trees. Additional pruning may be carried out as a result of these inspections. While pruning is usually carried out to improve the structure and balance of trees, NParks also ensures that branches do not block the light from street lamps during its pruning exercises. 

In 2017, NParks received about 200 reports from the public, about trees blocking street lamps. These made up less than 1% of the feedback that NParks receives per year on roadside greenery. If members of the public spot trees covering street lamps, they can report it through the OneService mobile app or by calling the NParks hotline.