The Penang Island City Council (MBPP) has announced its ‘Early Commencement Work’ initiative for the construction industry involving residential and commercial sectors.

MBPP mayor Datuk Yew Tung Seang said the initiative was to stimulate the local economy which has been affected due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The residential projects consist of new development project of landed properties such as double-storey, single-storey and terrace houses. It must not be more than four units in total.

“Renovation or expansion work for homes should not be more than 50 percent of the total square feet (must not exceed 1,500 square feet).

“For the commercial projects, construction work is allowed only for the interior part of an existing building,’’ said Yew during the council’s regular meeting today at MBPP’s City Hall.

Yew said the construction work would be allowed to commence within 24 hours upon submission of the building plan to the council.

“They must meet the required criteria to be able to start work,” he added.

Apart from that, the Request For Ideas (RFI) which was launched earlier by MBPP was extended till Sept 15.

“Through the RFI, we intend to optimise the usage of market spaces. There are a total of 28 markets under the supervision of MBPP.

“We welcome any new ideas from the public through RFI for businesses. They can forward their ideas through pelesenan@mbpp.gov.my or at 04-263 8818.

Source: Buletin Mutiara

The government is expected to table the much-anticipated Residential Tenancy Act next year to monitor the rental market and protect tenants and house owners.

Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Ismail Muttalib said currently, the rental market is not monitored by any particular agency.

Instead, it is determined according to assessment rates, location, accessibility and distance from public transport.

Among others, the bill will protect tenants from being forced to vacate premises without proper notice and act as a framework for the rental property market.

Once passed, Ismail said, it will act as a mediator with a tribunal in place to settle disputes.

He was responding to Chang Lih Kang (PH-Tanjong Malim) who asked about the ministry’s efforts to ensure that the home rental market is affordable for most people.

Chang also voiced unhappiness that the bill would not be tabled this year, saying many jobless tenants might be forced to vacate their premises due to Covid-19.

Source: FreeMalaysiaToday.com

A proposed mixed development by Paramount Solaris Sdn. Bhd. at Bayan Lepas. It is strategically located on the Bukit Ayun land next to Jalan Tun Dr. Awang, about 3km away from Penang International Airport. Surrounding communities include The Clovers by Asia Green, Tree Sparina and The Amarene by Ideal Property Group,  South Homes and a few others.

The same piece of land was planned for Mpire Residences by MBI Group back in 2017. It is not known whether this is still for the same project. But the latest earthwork proposal submitted in early August indicating the development comprises a 57-storey commercial building in multiple phases, featuring three serviced residence and one hotel tower:

• Tower A1: 45-storey serviced residence (956 units)
• Tower A2: 43-storey serviced residence (672 units)
• Tower B: 40-storey serviced residence (560 units)
• Tower C: 20-storey hotel (300 rooms) with mall and retail offices

Residence facilities will be located on the top floors of the residential towers.

Location : Bayan Lepas, Penang
Property Type : Mixed development
Land Tenure : Freehold
Total Units: (refer to above)
Built-up Area: (to be confirmed)
Developer: Paramount Solaris Sdn. Bhd.

Location Map:

The iconic Penang ferry services have been suspended until Aug 26, for emergency repair works.

A notice was put up near the entrance to the ferry terminal in Weld Quay which stated that the service was interrupted for the time being due to malfunction ferries.

Auxiliary policemen were also stationed at the terminal to divert the passengers to take the shuttle bus instead.

Rapid Ferry head Osman Amir said the three-day service suspension was due to some technical engine problems.

“The problems affect four ferries. We would like to apologise for the inconvenienced caused,” he said in a statement today.

Meanwhile, Pengkalan Kota assemblyman Daniel Gooi who was at the scne, shared his frustration over the halted services on his Facebook live feed.

“The operators should take responsibility as the service suspension has caused distress among the public.

“We urge the Penang Port Commission to provide an explanation,” he said.

Rapid Ferry which operates the service under Prasarana Malaysia Bhd, prepared free bus shuttles to bring passengers to and from the island with a frequency of 20 minutes.

The earliest bus available from Penang Sentral on the mainland was at 6am while the last bus would travel at 9.40pm.

From the island at Weld Quay, the earliest bus would leave at 7.10am and the final bus would leave at 11pm.

Rapid Ferry also put up a status in its official Facebook page about the service interruption, receiving angry comments from netizens.

Many claimed the notice was put up at the last minute, causing inconvenience to those who rely on the ferry service to travel to work.

Source: FreeMalaysiaToday.com

Penang Island City Council (MBPP) has demanded that owners of abandoned “heritage buildings” or pre-war houses “upkeep their premises” or action will be taken against them, The Star reported.

MBPP said it has “identified” 73 abandoned properties (commercial and residential) worth about RM300 million.

The report stated that such structures have “become an eyesore to passers-by”.

Councillor Wong Yuee Harng told the daily that MBPP’s Heritage Department discovered 134 abandoned properties in 2016 but the “number dropped to 73 this year” after some of the owners were traced.

“We managed to trace some of the owners and issued them notices. Several of them returned to clean up the place and turned their properties into more decent-looking buildings,” he revealed.

If MBPP is forced to clean up the buildings, the bill will then be sent to the owner, Wong warned.

“The cleaning can cost between several hundreds to thousands of ringgit, depending on the severity of the damage.

“Cranes and heavy machinery are needed if there is major structural damage that could pose danger to the public,” he said.

Also, under the Local Government Act, culprits could be fined RM1,000 or jailed not more than six months, or both, plus a fine of not more than RM100 a day if the offence “continued after the conviction”.

“Sections 127 and 128 of the National Land Code allow alienated land to be forfeited by the state.

“For those who are unsure, they can check with the land office if they possess ownership of such properties,” Wong told The Star.

Source: EdgeProp.my