Now, the table - which is as long as a ping-pong table and half as wide - is also destroying the harmony in the area.

A resident who moved in in April wants it out of her sight.

She has written numerous complaints to the Singapore Land Authority and the Land Transport Authority about it.

INCONVENIENT

She feels that the gatherings are disturbing her peace and causing her much inconvenience.

When approached by The New Paper on Sunday, she declined to comment further or give her name.

The authorities acted on the complaints and tried to remove it. As the table was placed in a public area, it was considered unlawful occupation of State land.

Resident Joanne Chua, who wants the table to stay, said: 'First we saw a warning notice from the authority pasted on the table. Then some officers came and tried to remove it. We negotiated (with the officers) and kept the table in one of our neighbours' home.'

Then, a few weeks later, the table appeared outside resident Wendy Foo's house. Mrs Foo said her neighbours asked if they could put it there. She agreed.

But the 40-year-old housewife lives directly opposite the resident who is against having the table.

Seeing it outside Mrs Foo's house, the resident alerted the authorities.

Meanwhile, the other residents sought help from their Member of Parliament (MP), Mr Alvin Yeo.

They managed to gather 96 signatures from 26 households in a petition to keep the table outside Mrs Foo's house, and presented it to Mr Yeo during a meet-the-people session.

Neighbourhood disputes are not new to the 45-year-old MP for Hong Kah GRC, but this is the first time he has come across one brewing over a table.

Mr Yeo has met both parties over the past few months.

He said: 'Both sides have their own points. It's a good thing that these residents have bonded together through their gatherings at the table. On the other hand, the other party is entitled to her family privacy.

'It comes down to neighbourliness and it's a matter of give-and-take.

'What's considered noisy to one person may not be noisy to another.'

Mr Yeo added: 'I hope both sides can get together to find a common ground and I will be happy to help them resolve this amicably.

'There are laws to follow. I'm afraid if there's no consensus among the residents, the general rule will have to be applied.'

Last Friday, officers from the authorities were there to remove the table. Again, the residents negotiated with the officers. They finally agreed to keep it in another resident's home.

Mrs Foo said: 'This time, the officers were really persistent about confiscating it. We negotiated with them for three hours under the hot sun.'

The table is now kept in Mr Roland Sim's house. Mr Sim lives two units away from the resident who is against keeping the table.

The 53-year-old businessman said in Mandarin: 'It's not an ordinary table. It is one that makes us feel a sense of belonging to this place.

'When this resident moved in with her family in April, I greeted them and welcomed them to Westwood.'

Another resident Jenny Lim, 48, a housewife, piped in: 'We have been neighbours for eight to nine years. We celebrate special occasions like Chinese New Year and the mid-autumn festival together. We're like a big family.'

Mr Wilson Foo, 41, a regional sales manager, said the table is not just for their gatherings.

'We have old folk taking a break there when they walk from the bus-stop to their houses. Sometimes the road sweepers rest there too,' he noted.

Polytechnic student Val Chua said that she likes to study at the table as it is windy there in the evenings.

So why not put the table further away from the unhappy resident?

Mrs Foo replied: 'Wherever we put the table, I believe she will continue to complain to the authorities.'

The residents gather outside Mrs Foo's house every Tuesdays and Saturdays. Now, they put up a smaller, portable plastic table that they can fold away after use.

Do they talk about the unhappy resident at their gatherings?

No, they said. 'We've better things to talk about, like current affairs, our children's schoolwork, their exams. We talk about anything, but her.'