Penang Property Talk

IKEA Malaysia today surprised the Penang-based media with an exclusive sneak preview of its highly anticipated store, IKEA Batu Kawan. Held in line with the store’s Roof Capping event, a Swedish tradition to celebrate the end of construction, IKEA took the opportunity to unveil features of this store while expressing gratitude to those who helped in the building phase.

With 49 showrooms spanning across 470,135 square feet (approx. 43,677 square metres) of retail space, this store presents a localised take on its home furnishing solutions, offering inspiration that matches closely to the living spaces of Penangites and Northern Malaysians. Located at Bandar Cassia, this First IKEA store in the northern region will offer easier access to over 8,000 well designed, functional and affordable Swedish home furnishings.

Additionally, with a restaurant that sits 756 people, customers will be able to enjoy a wide selection of tasty Swedish and locally inspired food. IKEA also shared that this store will also have a bakery with freshly baked bread and pastries, an added treat to the Swedish Food Market and IKEA Bistro.

Pathmalingam Arumugam, Store Manager of IKEA Batu Kawan shared “We are just 26 days away from the official opening! As we inch closer towards welcoming the many people through our doors, our passionate team made up of over 300 IKEA coworkers are going the extra mile to ensure the necessary preparations are in place as we live up to our vision of creating a better everyday life for the many people in the community.”

The team at IKEA Batu Kawan is now in its final phase of operational set~up, merchandising and interior fittings. Together, they will provide customers with the unique IKEA store experience many Malaysians have come to know and love!

“On top of providing a great day out for customers, we are also committed to inspiring people to live a more sustainable everyday life. Our range of home furnishings will also include numerous sustainable products such as LED light bulbs, food savers and recycling solutions among others,” added Pathmalingam.

With sustainability rooted at its core, IKEA Batu Kawan is pre-installed with many features to ensure it operates in a sustainable way. These features include photovoltaic solar panels, rainwater capture, energy recovery equipment, parking bays for eco-friendly vehicles and more.

IKEA Batu Kawan is easily accessible via the second Penang Bridge from the island and’ major highways, such as Lebuhraya Bandar Cassia and North-South Expressway. For greater convenience, the store is complemented with 1,950 parking bays. Situated at 752, Persiaran Cassia Selatan 8, 14110 Bandar Cassia, Penang, the store will begin operations at 10.00 am on 14 March 2019 (Thursday).

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The Penang government has again defended the Pan Island Link 1 (PIL 1), with Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow saying the state’s “silent majority” wants the project to proceed.

He said based on feedback from the public through town hall sessions, some 80% of Penangites approved of PIL 1, a mega highway project that cuts through the island’s hills and which environmentalists warn could destroy the island’s sensitive ecosystem.

Yes, our survey shows 85% of our readers want PIL 1.

Chow said opposition to the project came “from a loud minority”, adding that the state would continue to engage with them by having independent experts “explain and enlighten where misconceptions are brewing”.

His statement comes after former prime minister Najib Razak said many were against the project as it was too expensive and damaging to the environment.

Najib, in a lengthy Facebook post recently, said PIL 1 would be the most expensive highway in the country at a cost of RM7.5 billion, which could balloon to RM9 billion or RM461 million per km.

If the project was shelved, he said, the money could be used to bail out Felda’s RM8 billion debts with the remaining RM1 billion given as cash aid to farmers and those in need.

The six-lane, 19.5km PIL 1 highway consists of 7.6km of elevated roads and 10.1km of roads tunnelled through the Penang Hill range to connect Gurney Drive in the northeast to the airport in the southeast.

It will allow motorists to arrive at the airport from Gurney Drive in 15 minutes.

Chow today rubbished Najib’s claims, saying the most expensive moniker was “cooked-up and distorted”.

He said the tunnelling and other complex works for PIL 1 justified the price tag of RM7.5 billion, and denied that the cost would escalate to RM9 billion.

The money for the project was funded through the reclamation of three islands south of Penang, which will be ultimately owned by the state, Chow added.

As for the George Town-Butterworth undersea tunnel and three main roads project, Chow said authorities had yet to pay the contractors for a feasibility study report of the tunnel as the report was yet to be finalised.

Chow said it was hence “incorrect” to claim that the state government had paid a total of RM305 million to the concessionaire company.

“The report for the proposed undersea tunnel is currently under review by an independent checking engineer appointed by the state government,” he added.

The projects are part of the Penang Transport Master Plan, which includes a series of highways and transit lines to be built over the next 20 to 30 years at a cost of RM46 billion.

It will be financed through the creation of three artificial islands south of Penang island, which will be later auctioned off to interested parties. The plan has yet to be approved by environmental regulators.

The state, however, is eager to kickstart the PIL 1 highway and the Komtar-Bayan Lepas LRT line at RM8.4 billion.

It has requested for a soft loan of RM1 billion to start reclaiming the islands so that both projects can run concurrently.

Source: FMT News

Penang will be undergoing urban regeneration in the near future to address land scarcity, especially on the island.

State Housing, Town, Country Planning and Local Government Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo said that to ensure that there is enough housing for the future population of Penang, safety measures must be taken.

“Land reclamation is a norm for all island states to get sufficient land,” Jagdeep said at a press conference outside Taman Free School food court in Datuk Keramat on Saturday.

He added that the mega Penang South Reclamation Scheme would cover 1,821 hectares to be reclaimed over the next 10 to 20 years.

“Meanwhile, to solve the problem of land scarcity, regeneration of existing housing schemes is one of the solutions.

“Taman Free School flats in Datuk Keramat, Mahsuri flats in Bayan Lepas and Rifle Range flats are more than 40 to 50 years old.

“When the flats reach a certain age, they become economically not viable to maintain.

“Maintaining old flats is more expensive than redeveloping new schemes from scratch,” Jagdeep explained.

He said that in Singapore, when every housing scheme reaches 30 to 40 years of age, an assessment report on the condition of the building must be produced.

“Many schemes there have been entirely redeveloped as in demolished and rebuilt.”

He added that several areas on Penang island and the mainland have been identified to be redeveloped and regenerated.

“This is for the benefit of the people because the size of the Taman Free School units is between 300 and 500sq ft.

“Residents will be offered larger units with a free car parking lot, better security and other amenities and the state will be able to provide more public housing for Penangites,” he added.

Meanwhile, a check with the residents of the Mahsuri flats in Bayan Lepas showed that a majority of them agreed with the idea of regeneration.

Jagdeep said that the project would start soon.

“The only issue is that in Malaysia, we do not have a clear law on how to deal with the minority of residents who do not want certain projects to be carried out,” he said.

He added that he had brought forward the matter to Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin.

“The ministry has to study the possibility of amending the law to address this issue,” he said.

Jagdeep added that he would be representing the state government at the National Council for Local Government meeting on Friday to be chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

The Mahsuri flats will be the first regeneration project.

An engagement project with the residents of Taman Free School flats three years ago highlighted several issues such as an increase in density and maintenance fees.

Jagdeep also said that he had received several proposals from developers to work on the regeneration project.

“We are hoping for a win-win situation,” he said, adding that the residents could counter propose their ideas.

Jadgeep and Jelutong MP R.S.N. Rayer later distributed Mandarin oranges to traders at the Taman Free School wet market to mark Chinese New Year.

Source: TheStar.com.my

Elevate @ Gravitas, the first commercial component of the 21.3-acre masterplan Gravitas development by UDA Property at Prai. Strategically located along the ever-bustling Jalan Baru, immediately opposite the Mydin Mall.

This development phase comprises a 4-storey commercial building, featuring 114 units of shop offices with built-up size ranging from 1,119 sq.ft. onwards.

Property Project: Elevate @ Gravitas
Location : Prai, Penang
Property Type : Shop office
Total Units: 114
Built-up Area: 1,119 sq.ft. onwards
Indicative Price: RM560,000 (shop office) onwards
Estimated Completion: Dec 2019
Developer : Uda Land (North) Sdn. Bhd.

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