En Bloc Sales: For Better or Worse?

The Sunday Times,
Home Section
Pg 10 / FOR BETTER OR WORSE, By Jessica Cheam

For a start, let me explain what 'En Bloc' sales are to those who are not in the know.
En Bloc sales are 'Collective Sales', in which instead of a single unit/apartment, the whole building is sold (Usually to a developer/company). So why do people want 'En Bloc' Sales? Firstly, they believe that they would gain more profits (a personal aspect). Then, some estates could also be in need of urban rejuvenation, especially in Singapore where land is scarce. Our land use should be maximized for housing uses, all the more so with our growing population.
So what's the issue here? It's about the dissatisfaction and emotional effect on the citizens who stay in the building. Especially for those who do not want to sell their unit, the MPs said that many residents would experience 'social and spatial' displacement, after being forced to move. Some cases were even brought to court, and usually the minority owners who refused to sell their homes won the cases, but after hefty costs and prolonged lawsuits. The Government supported these residents by passing new rules to clarify the collective sale process including the more strict requirements after a first failed collective sale attempt.
The question here is not about our economy, as collective sales actually are a sign of our progress and quest for land efficiency. We are actually addressing the social aspect of 'En Bloc' sales.
Older folks might not be able to cope with a move to a new environment, and it might also break up the friendship of neighbours and communities forged throughout the years (like me XD). Other factors to consider could include losing the ideal position of their homes and some had settle down for a lower quality of life. Although there are positive aspects as well - Some managed to settle down with a higher or similar quality of life, and could even get an even more ideal location of their new homes. These rule out the physical aspect problems therefore that brings us down to the social problems again.
In the article, there were various other articles written by the residents of the buildings sold collectively. These residents were affected negatively. For example, Mr. Reginald Tan, voiced his opinions when he had to downgrade to a smaller flat with a lower quality of life when his flat was sold collectively (Gillman Heights). They could not get a good price for their flat, and at the same time property prices increased. That dashed their hopes of getting a similar flat in the area. Other residents simply felt offended, and that they had to give up their home against their will. Some residents had also decided that they were going to stay at their home for the rest of their lives without moving. Mr. Alan Chow felt that life at his flat (Gillman Heights) was peaceful, and the grounds were big and exclusive. Everyone knew each other too. But as soon as the government decided to sale the flat collectively, Mr. Chow knew that they would lose the kinship with their neighbours and they would face the problems of finding a new home. They were part of the minority group who fought against the deal in court, but after spending lots of money, they still lost their home in the end. They also decided to downgrade to a HDB resale flat. They also remarked about the friendship of their new home not as good as of the then Gillman Heights. From all these we can see that Collective Sales actually bring about so many social problems when it helps us economically.
What I believe is that the government should always take into consideration the social aspects of the citizens before making decisions, as of the new rules passed for the clarity of the collective sales process. Collective sales definitely benefit our land efficiency, but what about it's residents? They're part of Singapore as well.