Penang has achieved yet another milestone when the ground-breaking ceremony of the Residensi Bukit Gelugor (a.k.a. Ideal Residency) affordable housing project took place at the junction of Jalan Gambir and Jalan Lembah today.

Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the project, a collaboration between the Federal Government, through its public housing agency Perbadanan PR1MA Malaysia, developer Ideal Property Group and the state government, would provide 2,850 affordable units on two plots of land.

Each unit, measuring 850sq ft, is proposed for sale at RM300,000.

Find out more about Ideal Residency

“The initial proposal for this 16.2-acre land was a mixed development. But at the request of the Penang state government, PR1MA has agreed to use this land entirely for affordable housing for the good of the people of Penang.

“The spirit and teamwork between both the Federal Government and the state government in ‘housing’ the people of Penang should be continued in other PR1MA projects in the state to ensure the well-being of the people of Penang as a whole,” Chow said.

He said the state government has targeted to build 200,000 low-cost, low medium-cost and affordable homes by 2030 in line with the state’s Penang2030 vision, increasing it from its initial target of 180,000 units.

“This will be my KPI,” added Chow, who also complimented Syerleena for facilitating the moving out of residents for the project to kick off.

Chow later took part in the ground-breaking ceremony together with Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin, state Local Government, Housing, Urban and Rural Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo, Seri Delima assemblyman Syerleena Abdul Rashid, PR1MA Development Head Zulkarnain Zainuddin, Ideal Property Group executive chairman Tan Sri Alex Ooi and his wife Puan Sri Joanne Phor, who is the Ideal Property Group executive director.

Zuraida said the Residensi Bukit Gelugor project would be used as a model for other PR1MA projects in Penang.

Besides the two projects at Residensi Bukit Gelugor, the state has been officially informed that there are two PR1MA projects at Permatang Pauh in the mainland and Jalan Sungai Batu in Batu Ferringhi in the island.

“This is a good job. We will try our very best to support whichever state. The state doesn’t matter; it is about the people. It’s not about the politicians, but it’s about the people. That is the policy we want to implement.

“We want to find a business model that is sustainable and viable. The old model where the (Federal) Government provided land, provided funds and handled the sales is not viable and cannot be used anymore because it would burden the Government.

“The new model is a migration from the conventional PR1MA. We’re into joint venture with private developers. We’ll provide the land but they have to agree to our terms and conditions. If not, we will find other developers,” Zuraida told a press conference.

She also revealed that her ministry has plans to regenerate old PPR housing schemes that are over 30 years old, especially those with lift problems and leaky roofs.

“We intend to tear down these PPR buildings and rebuild them. We want to build units that are not less than 900sq ft to upgrade the residents’ living standard,” Zuraida added.

Under Budget 2021, she said the Housing Ministry has been allocated a RM1 billion guarantee to help those facing loan issue with the banks to take up rent-to-own units.

Zuraida commended Ooi and Ideal Property for developing amenities and facilities such as swimming pool, indoor badminton court, full basketball court, jacuzzi, jogging track, gym room, yoga room, ping pong room, a garden, kids pool, and multipurpose halls.

Jagdeep said even before the Covid-19 crisis, he had advised developers to build more affordable homes instead of luxurious homes costing over RM1 million.

“It was an uphill task (to convince the developers). It’s not that I am thankful for Covid-19 but RM1 million units cannot be sold at this time. That’s the reality.

“The Penang government always want to assist the B40 group to be able to own a roof over their heads. That’s the basic human need,” said Jagdeep.

Penang, he said, has so far hit 106,000 mark for low-cost, low medium-cost and affordable homes, considering that 34,000 had been built, 23,000 are being built and 49,000 are planned to be built.

Ooi said the freehold Residensi Bukit Gelugor project is scheduled for completion by 2024 for its first phase development.

He said the project is strategically located and poised to be another highly popular housing scheme as it will give residents easy access to major destinations, Penang Bridge, George Town, Bayan Lepas Free Trade Zone as well as Penang International Airport.

Source: Buletin Mutiara

Some old public housing in Penang

The Ministry of Housing and Local Government will introduce the Public Housing Redevelopment Policy to build more comfortable houses to replace the ones that are too old, said minister Zuraida Kamaruddin.

Zuraida said the policy, which is being streamlined before being brought to the Cabinet, would enable the people, especially the B40 community to live in bigger houses with complete facilities.

She said under the redevelopment programme, 30-year-old public housing would be demolished to make way for new houses and that this approach would be better for the owners as they would get bigger homes.

“This is because the existing public housing (affordable housing) is only 750 square feet and with this new policy it must be 900 square feet,” she told reporters after attending a meeting with the Kedah exco in charge of housing regarding the Ayer Hitam People’s Housing Project (PPR) here today.

Zuraida said maintaining public housing including PPR was no longer economical as the costs to fix the more than 30-year-old homes with recurring problems such as broken lifts and damaged roofs were expensive.

Meanwhile, on the issue faced by the buyers of Ayer Hitam PPR in Jerlun, Kedah, Zuraida clarified that the PPR was completed on Aug 15 last year but the handing over process was delayed due to technical issues.

Source: Bernama

Source: Buletin Mutiara

The family here that has been living in their old Proton since their home burned down eight months ago have been given a People’s Housing Project (PPR) unit plus monthly financial assistance, Malaysiakini reported today.

Security guard S Ganesh, 34, and his family (wife and three young children) made the news earlier this week when their plight was highlighted in numerous reports.

“I tried looking for a place to rent but the rental for even a small flat unit is high, about RM800. I can’t afford it. My salary is only RM1,200,” Ganesh told the media then.

State Environment and Welfare exco Phee Boon Poh clarified with Malaysiakini that the Penang government actually contacted the family back in April when their home at Lebuh Carnavon was burned down.

“A temporary shelter at the Caring Community Complex was offered by the Penang Welfare Department and Penang Land and District Office.

“It was, however, understood that the move was unsuccessful as the family had intended to stay with relatives at Air Itam on the same night. Their family did not engage with the state government since then until the news about them went viral,” Phee explained.

Source: Facebook of Ebit Lew

Meanwhile, Ganesh and his family’s troubles also got the attention of preacher and helper of the needy, Ebit Lew, who rented a three-bedroom home for them.

“I will pay rent for a month while they wait for a PPR unit. They have applied twice since their house was burnt down.

“But if they want to continue living there, I will also happily pay for their rent,” Lew said in his Facebook posting.

Source: EdgeProp.my

Workers’ dorm at Batu Maung

Plans are afoot to build a dormitory with 35,000 beds – touted as the largest in the country – in Penang.

Penang local government committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo said the state’s Planning Committee (Technical) will study an application for the project in Teluk Kumbar in the southern end of Penang island in its next meeting.

“We received the latest proposal on Tuesday to build the largest foreign workers’ dormitory in Penang, or even Malaysia.

“The dormitory may be built on 4ha of land. It will have 2,100 rooms with 35,000 beds, ” he said, adding that this worked out to an average of 16 beds per room.

“The applicant had earlier proposed other components besides the workers’ quarters, but the latest proposal was to start on the dormitory project, ” Jagdeep said, adding that Penang currently has two foreign workers’ dormitories in operation – in Bukit Minyak on the mainland and Batu Maung on the island.

The dorm in Bukit Minyak reportedly holds 6,600 beds and the one in Batu Maung has up to 8,500 beds.

“One major issue is the proper housing of foreign workers, which help sustain the economy. These workers need to have a place to stay and we can see that they are now living in various housing schemes among locals, ” said Jagdeep.

Source: TheStar.com.my

Mak Mandin Residensi, an affordable housing (Type A) development by Penang Development Corporation at Butterworth. This development is located along Mak Mandin 5, neighboring Mak Mandin Industrial Park. Next to it are two public schools, namely SMK Mak Mandin and SJK(T) Mak Mandin. It is only a mere minute’s drive away from Jalan Raja Uda.

This project comprises a 13-storey apartment, offering 187 low-cost units with a standard built-up size of 650 sq.ft. There will also be 4 units of shot lots located at the ground level.

READ MORE ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING:

• Full list of affordable housing in Penang
• Eligibility and the requirement of buying affordable housing

Project Name: Mak Mandin Residensi (also known as Mak Mandin Indah)
Location : Butterworth
Property Type : Low-cost housing
Built-up Size: 650 sq.ft.
Total Units : 187
Land Tenure : (to be confirmed)
Indicative Price : RM42,000
Developer: Penang Development Corporation

Location Map:

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.