SINGAPORE - News that a building in Thomson Road will be demolished to allow nearby excavation works to be carried out safely came as a shock to the owners of the 12 residential units there. For months, they and their tenants had engaged with the authorities about the need to vacate the building temporarily as its foundation had to be strengthened to withstand the impact from the construction of an underground tunnel for the upcoming North-South Corridor. All had moved out by February, but the expectation was that in two years, they would be able to return to their units or lease them out again. With the improved connectivity brought about by the transport corridor, which will have dedicated bus lanes, cycling trunk routes and pedestrian paths connecting towns in the north to the city, there were hopes of a collective sale in future. But any chance of a windfall was dashed by the sudden announcement on Friday (April 16) morning that the building at 68 to 74 Thomson Road and its 776 sq m site were being acquired for demolition. "I'm still in shock," said Mr Roger Ting, 63, who owns a unit in the building. "To us, this is a sudden U-turn by the Land Transport Authority and Singapore ...