CARS “PACKED LIKE SARDINES”
LHN Group, which owns and manages the Golden Mile Tower car park through its subsidiary LHN Parking, told CNA that it is cooperating with the authorities to determine the cause of the fire.
The company said it was unable to disclose further information as investigations are ongoing, and apologised for the inconvenience caused to the public.
“The group acknowledges public concerns and will work closely with the relevant parties and authorities to address any issues and further enhance safety measures where necessary.”
It did not respond to questions about whether the way the cars were parked was compliant with its regulations and the maximum number of cars allowed on each floor.
Joseph (not his real name), who owns two units in Golden Mile Tower, said that since 2018, many cars appeared to be parked permanently on levels four, five and six.
“The whole floor is full of cars. If you count, it’s about 100 to 150 cars,” he said, adding that they were mostly new and unregistered vehicles.
There are more cars than there are available lots on these floors, Joseph said, noting that they are even parked in lanes for entry and exit, with other visitors or tenants unable to drive through.
He was concerned that the load on the fourth, fifth and sixth floors would affect the structural integrity of the building, which was built in the 1970s. Joseph added he was often unable to find available car park lots despite paying for season parking.
With the cars parked so closely together, it could also be a fire hazard, he told CNA.
Joseph said he and other tenants used OneService to report their concerns about the cars, which were “packed like sardines”, to the authorities in 2018.
In the response seen by CNA, the Municipal Services Office advised them to contact Golden Mile Tower’s management to sort out the issue.
“We also didn’t follow up because there’s nothing we can do, since it’s privately owned,” Joseph said.
Rachel (not her real name), who works in one of the shops in Golden Mile Tower, told CNA that she and her colleagues did not know about the severity of the parking situation in their building because they typically take the train to work every day.
After the fire broke out, they were shocked to see photos of the cars parked closely together on the sixth floor.
Rachel said they knew the fourth to sixth floors were mostly occupied by vehicles belonging to car rental or dealership companies, while most visitors would park on the second or third floor.
But sometimes, these unregistered cars also occupy the third floor and customers would raise the issue, she added.
“With regards to safety, everybody will be concerned now. But since it’s under the car park management, there’s nothing we can really do,” she said.
“Hopefully, this will be a reminder to them that they need to be a bit more careful.”
