An upcoming condominium and mall in Potong Pasir have had their proposed names changed from The Andrew Residences and The Andrew Village to The Poiz Residences and The Poiz Centre, after the original names raised the ire of some members of St Andrew’s alumni.
Several St Andrew’s alumni members have written in to developers MCC Land and the authorities, saying that giving a commercial project a similar name took away from the schools’ history and could cause confusion among members of the public.
“As a socially responsible developer, we take such community sentiments seriously as our development vision is to bring about a positive transformation to Potong Pasir at large,” said a spokesman for MCC Land on Tuesday (Nov 3).
The Street and Building Names Board told Channel NewsAsia earlier that it was aware of the feedback on the project and is looking into the matter.
St Andrew’s Village is the official compound of all three St Andrew’s schools. It was opened in 2006 and also houses the Anglican Diocesan Office, a kindergarten and three church buildings.
The new condominium and mall is located nearby, integrated with Potong Pasir MRT Station – which was a key reason for the new choice of names.
“We seek to adopt the first two alphabets of ‘Potong’ so that it gives the naming a sense of place,” the spokesman told Channel NewsAsia.
“The mixed-use development comprising The Poiz Residences and The Poiz Centre is poised to be the central landmark of Potong Pasir with its unique architectural design and seamless integration with the Potong Pasir MRT Station.”
He added: “The name Poiz has a similar ring to ‘poise’, which suggests grace, balance and presence.”
The MCC Land project is expected to be completed in 2019 and sales are expected to begin at the end of this year.
Source : Channel NewsAsia – 3 Nov 2015