Yishun cafe selling alcohol in breach of tenancy terms ordered to return premises to HDB

Carmen Sin
The Straits Times
Aug 25, 2023

A cafe on the ground floor of a Yishun public housing block has been ordered by the Housing Board to cease operations and return the premises by next Thursday.

This comes after complaints from residents in June about noise, littering and rowdy behaviour by its patrons.

The cafe, Hood Vibes, which serves alcohol, is located at Block 468A Yishun Street 43.

Mr Derrick Goh, an MP for Nee Soon GRC, said in a Facebook post last week that he checked out the cafe after hearing feedback that a pub had opened there, and that he did not recognise most of the patrons as Nee Soon Link residents.

Queried by The Straits Times, HDB said the unit had been rented out for use as a cafe.

It said it had found, during several visits to the cafe to investigate the residents’ complaints, that the tenant had breached the terms of the tenancy.

It said: “While the premises were rented out for use as a cafe to serve food and beverages to residents throughout the day, our inspections found that it was operating from 4.30pm to 10pm and selling mainly alcoholic beverages.

“There was no food menu, nor food being served to customers at the cafe during our visits.”

HDB said the tenant has not been cooperative, despite its repeated warnings to the tenant to stop the unauthorised use of the premises, and to operate the cafe as stated in the tenancy agreement.

HDB then served a “notice to quit” on the tenant in July, requiring the cafe to stop operations and the premises to be returned by Aug 31.

In an Instagram post a week ago, Hood Vibes said it was closed till further notice.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by @hoodvibes.sg

Its proprietor told Chinese daily Shin Min Daily News last week that the cafe has an alcohol licence, and that it played only “soft background music”.

Speaking to ST, Mr Goh said residents had sent him screen grabs of Hood Vibes’ earlier Instagram posts advertising its sale of alcohol.

In a post on June 24, Hood Vibes described itself as the “newest bar in the hood”.

The post has since been edited to read the “newest cafe in the hood”.

Mr Goh said: “HDB and the authorities have done a full investigation and the feedback from my residents have been addressed.”

ST has contacted Hood Vibes for comment.