June 11 will go down as a memorable day for Penang as the Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve received its recognition certificate after being listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) under its Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme last year.

Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Datuk Ali Biju presented the certificate to Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow during the certificate handover ceremony at the Penang Hill upper station yesterday.

PHBR is the state’s second accolade from Unesco after George Town was accorded the Unesco World Heritage Site status in 2008.

Chow, when he announced the official Unesco listing for PHBR last year on Sept 16, said the approval came during the 33rd Session of the Man and Biosphere Programme International Coordinating Council (MAB-ICC) which was held in Abuja, Nigeria on Sept 15.

“With this recognition, the state government is determined to make Penang Hill and its surroundings the preferred eco-tourism destination for visitors, while creating a world-class learning site to explore and illustrate methods of conservation and sustainable development.

“I am confident with PHBR being managed by the Penang Hill Corporation (PHC) and supported by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (KeTSA), our sustainable forest resource management will only get better.

“This also includes the preservation and conservation of our nature.

“Also, not to forget the coordinated efforts and collaboration with The Habitat Group, learned academics from the Universiti Sains Malaysia and the various state and federal agencies,” Chow said during his speech.

It is learned that a PHBR office would be set up soon to initiate the Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve Action Plan (PHBRAP), while managing other important matters.

PHBR encompasses three major ecosystems, namely the terrestrial, marine and coastal ecosystems.

It spans an area of 12,481 hectares, covering Penang Hill, Penang National Park, Penang Botanic Gardens, Teluk Bahang Dam, Air Itam Dam, and six permanent forest reserves which are Bukit Kerajaan Forest Reserve, Teluk Bahang Forest Reserve, Laksamana Forest Reserve, Penara Hill Forest Reserve, Highlands Forest Reserve and Pantai Acheh Forest Reserve as well as several water catchment areas on Penang island.

Meanwhile, Ali congratulated Penang and the relevant agencies involved in the much-deserved Unesco listing for PHBR.

“I believe collective efforts from various parties have helped make this recognition possible.

“This type of international recognition is not only something that brings pride to our country, but it shows how committed we are towards achieving biodiversity conservation and supporting our country’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“This PHBR recognition will certainly play a crucial role in attracting more tourists to Penang while enhancing the state’s economy,” he added.

Ali said that recently, KeTSA had approved an allocation of RM192,810 under the Biodiversity National Conservation Trust Fund for Natural Resources (NCTF) for PHC to expedite documentation works for PHBR.

PHC general manager Datuk Cheok Lay Leng said the recognition was the start of a super exciting journey ahead with all the parties involved.

“While there may be challenges along the way, I am sure the rewards will bring many smiles to everyone.

“We will continue to work hard to protect Penang’s biodiversity, heritage and culture, which we cannot afford to lose.

“The responsibility of protecting and conserving PHBR lies with everybody who utilises the natural resources and enjoys the natural assets of Penang,” he said.

Also, during the ceremony, PHBR’s new logo was unveiled.

Source: Buletin Mutiara

Arts, culture and heritage is one of the Penang’s key attractions as the state is set to have another art gallery in two years aside from the current one in Dewan Sri Pinang.

State Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin, who made the announcement, said an almost century-old government quarters in Sepoy Lines Road would be refurbished and transformed into an art gallery.

“It will be an extension from the current State Art Gallery that we have in Dewan Sri Pinang in town.

“We need to have an additional art gallery to cater to the current one.

“Art, culture and heritage is considered to be an important element for the state apart from the manufacturing industry.

“In fact, we have seen numerous art galleries in European countries. They are all well known and established galleries, which are famous for its artworks.

The staircases leading to the upper floor of the government quarters.

“In Penang, we hope to create a milestone and lift the art, cultural and heritage industry to greater heights,” said Yeoh, who is also the Penang State Museum Board chairman, during a press conference at the government quarters today.

The government quarters, which is near to the office of Penang Football Association (FAP), was built in 1920s.

It had been the quarters to many government servants, including the state accountant officer from 2005 to 2012.

It has since been left vacant till now.

State Museum and Art Gallery director Haryany Mohamad said the building was in good condition and merely needed a refurbishment.

“This will be another venue for art gallery and we hope to showcase the growing interest of art in the state.

Source: Buletin Mutiara

Sean Tan, also known as the Real Estate Guy, has been in the real estate industry in Malaysia for many years. Over time, he came to a realization that there is a gap in the industry in terms of information and knowledge. Thus, iherng born, and his YouTube channel has been helping many to bridge that gap and helping young Malaysians in embarking onto their real estate investment journey.

In his visit to Penang, Hunza Properties have invited him exclusively for a sharing session right here at the heart of Penang International Commercial City (PICC) where he will be checking on the local property market with Dato’ Lily Tan of Hunza Properties Group.

The special broadcast will be going live at PICC-Penang’s Facebook page on 15th June 2022 (Wednesday) at 9 PM. The live will also be broadcasted here so mark your calendars as Sean and Dato’ Lily will be sharing plenty of exclusive insights and many more!

For more information or to view the show units, kindly call Hunza at 04-6090688 or click here: https://wa.link/nixr4w

Proposed mixed development by Prominent Development Sdn. Bhd. in Butterworth. Located between Butterworth Outer Ring Road (BORR) and Jalan Bagan Luar, adjacent to Lembaga Tabung Haji and Penang International Dental College. It is just a stone’s throw away from Penang Sentral, about 10 minutes drive to Penang Bridge. Surrounding amenities within 2km radius include banks, markets, schools and several popular eateries.

This development will be developed in a few phases, which will include serviced residences, commercial tower and shop offices:

• Plot A: 34-storey serviced residence (215 units)
• Plot B: 34-storey serviced residence (215 units)
• Plot C: 10-storey commercial tower with mechanical carpark.
• Plot D: 2 units of 2-storey shop offices

The project is still pending approval, more details to be available upon official launch.

Project Name: (to be confirmed)
Location : Butterworth
Property Type : Mixed development
Total Units : 430 (serviced residence)
Built-up Size: (to be confirmed)
Land Tenure : (to be confirmed)
Indicative Price : (to be confirmed)
Developer: Prominent Development Sdn. Bhd.

DISCLAIMER: This article is solely based on research done using publicly available data. This is not an advertisement. Any claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a project or service should be verified with the developer, provider, or party in question.

Mitsui Outlet Park @ KLIA

Penang is expected to host a new Mitsui Outlet in the near future as Mitsui Fudosan Co Ltd and joint venture partner Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd are awaiting greenlight from the state authorities.

The approval for the new mall, which would be located near Penang International Airport (PIA), was expected by the third quarter of this year, said TJ Cheah, who is managing director of MFMA Development.

MFMA Development is a 70:30 joint venture between Mitsui and MAHB, with the Japanese retail giant holding the majority stake.

“We’re planning to open (an outlet mall) in Penang. At the moment, we don’t have a date (of launching) because we’re still going through some processes with the local authorities.

“But we’re getting there. We’ll announce it soon, hopefully in the next month or two,” he told NST Business in an exclusive interview recently.

Cheah added that there was an opportunity up north that was missing, which led the company to choose Penang as the location to build the new outlet.

The plans for a Mitsui Outlet in Penang was first reported in 2018, with the media quoting Penang Federal Action Council chairman Datuk Seri Zainal Abidin Osman as saying that the construction of the mall would be part of the expansion of PIA.

Cheah said Mitsui Outlet in the country had gained traction in the last few years given that Malaysia was largely made up of mid-income group earners who prefers to shop discounted products or items are that below the original prices.

“I also feel that it fulfills the desire for them to upgrade themselves at an affordable price… I think Mitsui Outlet has been gaining traction.

“At first, people didn’t seem to understand what the outlet offers but when they realised that we offer discounts and products that are below the original prices, I think people find that as a really good deal,” he added.

Mitsui and MAHB recently launched Phase 3 of the Mitsui Outlet Park KLIA Sepang that featured a sports zone and an array of contemporary home and living offerings.

The Phase 3, which measures about 82,885 square feet of gross floor area, houses two brand new tenants – Objet and Courts as well as new concept stores by Adidas, Nike and Puma.

Cheah said the launch of Phase 3 was timely as the mall was seeing increasing footfall traffic, especially after Malaysia ended its lockdown and opened its international borders.

He said the Covid-19 pandemic had been challenging for the outlet in Sepang, but at the same time it had helped the company to think outside the box by leveraging on digital marketing as the main communication channel with its shoppers.

Some of the new efforts include “Live Exclusive Sales” via Facebook to create an alternative revenue stream for the outlet’s business partners, enhancing the website to promote direct engagement between the respective brands and customers and the introduction of online personal shopper as well as introduction of online contest entry.

When asked if online shopping would ever trump brick-and-mortar, Cheah said that the latter was still relevant in the retail industry particularly in Southeast Asia, although the online experience would continue to grow in the future.

“Our consumers (in Southeast Asia) prefer to touch and feel things. People drive all the way out here (Mitsui Outlet KLIA) to see the products themselves, feel it, test it, wear it, be comfortable with it, be satisfied before they make that purchase,” he said, adding that the mall was expected to welcome about four million visitors this year.

Source: NST Online