If there’s one thing popping up more than the pimples on the face of a teenager going through puberty, it’s the amount of new and often obscure malls here.
Of course, it’s not a bad thing for it provides more convenience to people living nearby who don’t have to walk so much to shop.
Sadly, not all malls manage to see enough business, and some don’t even get to see the light of day like this one.
Empty Changi Mall
The thought of abandoned malls may just be enough to send shivers down many spines, for who knows what now dwells there… ghost shoppers, perhaps?
However, not all malls are left vacant because something creepy or bad happened there.
In the prominent district of Changi, along the north upper section of Changi Road opposite Changi Prison, there stands a mall named Liv @ Changi.
Never heard of it? Well, barely anyone has – for the mall’s never opened for business before, not even for a day.
The building was actually completed in December 2019, yet till this day, not a single tenant resides in the mall. It has remained vacant for more than a year.
Liv @ Changi has thus been dubbed as a white elephant – a property that’s essentially useless and also expensive or troublesome to maintain at that. Ouch.
No Tenants Due To Restrictions
It probably wasn’t due to the mall’s location that left tenants unwilling to rent a spot in it, but rather the amount of restrictions that had been slapped on the property.
Fortune Assets Changi, the developer of the mall, found it difficult to attract tenants due to blockade measures and planning restrictions imposed upon them by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).
Authorities mentioned that they had already informed the developer back in 2015 that restaurants, bars, fitness centers or nightclubs were not allowed in the property.
However, in February 2020, the developer had still requested for there to be some restaurants and cafes in the mall’s first and second floors.
They were rejected and the authorities had reiterated their restrictions.
Feedback from residents around the area played a part in this decision, for they were afraid that traffic and parking problems would be made worse with the mall.
Originally, the developer had wanted to provide high-quality facilities and services to nearby residents.
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They wanted to attract traffic to the mall through cafes and restaurants, but the restrictions made it difficult for such tenants to be housed.
It’s Now For Sale
Unfortunately, the mall has now apparently been put up for sale without even getting its chance to serve any tenants or customers.
A cloth banner was spotted hanging on the facade of the mall, announcing that the freehold property was now available to purchase.
Contact information of two real estate agents were also included on the banner.
The mall still remains as quiet as ever, and red awls were put up at the entrance of the carpark to block anyone from entering and parking.
As of now, the developer has yet to be contacted, leaving the story of the empty mall open to further development.
There’s a secret that only people living in Yishun would know, and they don’t want others to know about it. But we’ll be the bad guys and tell you about it in this video:
Hopefully, the new owner of the building will be able to give it the new lease of life it never got to have.
Featured Image: Google Maps