The state government is planning a new mechanism to prevent low-cost (LC) and low medium-cost (LMC) unit owners from profiting from the sales of units.

Under the new guidelines, LC and LMC unit owners will have to sell their units to the government at a mutually acceptable price.

State Housing, Town, Country Planning and Local Government Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo said this was to prevent the owners from excessive profiteering from the sales of their units.

“Owners must adhere to the original intention where the units were for the low-income groups and it’s perfectly alright if they were moving to higher end units.

“However, they were not suppose to sell their units for a ‘durian runtuh’ (huge windfall) as it defeats the purpose of them buying the units in the first place.

“There were cases where a RM42,000 unit was sold for RM300,000 due to speculation,” said Jagdeep during his winding-up speech at the state assembly.

Thus, Jagdeep said the state would buy over the units of those who were planning to sell to be sold to others in the waiting list.

“Through this there would be a continuous supply of LC and LMC units and the state would not have to build new units,” he said, adding that a task force had been set up to look into the mechanism and its enforcement.

On the issue of the urban rejuvenation plan for the Rifle Range flats, Jagdeep said it has been put on hold until the legal aspects are worked out.

“In Singapore, the Urban Rejuvenation Authority has wide powers where a building could be demolished if majority of the unit holders agreed to the move.

“We don’t have such laws here and we are awaiting the feedback from the federal government on the issue where the Strata Titles Act have to be amended,” he said.

Source: TheStar.com.my

The Penang government plans to call for a Request for Proposal (RFP) to offer water taxi services in the state after failing to receive any response on the idea.

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the water taxi services would open more routes and more effective transportation networks by connecting the island and mainland via water transport.

Tanjung Tokong, George Town, Jelutong, Butterworth, Perai, Bukit Tambun, Batu Kawan, Nibong Tebal and other areas on the island and Seberang Prai have been suggested as locations for the water taxi services.

“This proposal has already made in into the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP). However, no actions have been forthcoming, hence we might proceed with the RFP.

“This will connect both the island and the mainland and also the multi-level paths between it.

“Rapid Ferrry Sdn Bhd is also welcome if they want to make this proposal because ferries will be the main transportation for its implementation,” he said when met on the sidelines of the state legislative assembly sitting here on Wednesday.

He was responding to suggestions to optimise the frequency of ferry operations, which stands at 54 journeys daily between Monday and Friday and 50 trips for Saturdays and Sundays.

On the operational cost of the Penang ferry, Chow said that the collections for the services was lower compared to its operational cost, hence why Penang Port Sdn Bhd had to let it go to Penang Ferry Sdn Bhd.

“We are however awaiting a response from Prasarana Malaysia Bhd (Prasarana) which is drafting a comprehensive proposal to improve the ferry services.

“It is still in the planning stage and we understand Prasarana needs their own assistance, but the state government hopes action can be taken,” he added.

On a separate matter, he said the state government has forwarded a suggestion to the Finance Minister to consider Butterworth as a location for an Urban Transformation Centre (UTC).

“The company had contacted the Seberang Perai Municipal Council to use its old building to set up a UTC in the previous election. However, there has been no further development until today.

“The Penang Sentral operator at Butterworth had also expressed interest in setting up a UTC in their building,” he said.

Source: NST Online

The Penang government is looking at introducing a new affordable housing category where the units will remain government properties under a leasehold plan that will allow low-income earners to own homes and upgrade to larger units in the future.

State executive councillor Jagdeep Singh Deo (DAP-Dato Keramat) said under the scheme, the housing options on offer are not just limited to low or low-medium cost units, but also larger homes under the “affordable homes” category.

He said the scheme would allow owners to upgrade from the smallest unit to bigger units in a staggered fashion.

Jagdeep said by doing this, it would ensure that low and low-medium cost homes would always be available to meet rising demands.

“This will benefit applicants wanting to own an affordable home, especially on the island side.

“We will form a special committee to further deliberate on the mechanism to be used in implementing this policy, including the financing options.

“After that, we will bring it up to the relevant authorities for approval,” Jagdeep said in his winding-up speech at the state assembly.

Currently, the capped prices of properties under the “affordable homes” category on the island are (depending on sizes): RM150,000 (750 sq ft); RM250,000 (800 sq ft); and RM300,000 (900 sq ft).

On mainland Seberang Perai, the prices are capped at: RM150,000 (750 sq ft); RM 200,000 (800 sq ft); and RM250,000 (900 sq ft).

As for the low-cost and low-medium-cost categories, the prices of homes are set at RM42,000 (650 sq ft) and RM72,500 (700 sq ft).

Here is the full list of affordable housing in Penang

Outside the assembly, Jagdeep revealed that as of October, there are currently 30,726 people on the waiting list to buy low and low-medium cost units and 12,326 for other categories, with a majority of them on the island.

Jagdeep stressed that the new scheme was merely a proposal and would only be implemented if agreed by the state executive council.

H’ng Mooi Lye (DAP-Jawi) had earlier asked Jagdeep if he would do the same for unsold or abandoned units, which could also be potential homes for the needy.

Jagdeep said the idea could be considered and the state could also look into taking over the units belonging to those who failed to pay assessment fees.

He said the current issue on low-cost and low-medium cost homes was unscrupulous owners who sold their properties at higher prices or rent them out to foreigners.

“We want to stop this abuse of affordable homes and through our lease and buy back plan, we might help the poor get a home,” he said.

Source: FMT Online

Premier lifestyle property developer Eastern & Oriental Berhad (E&O) unveiled the first winner of its Luxury Living Campaign at a prize presentation held at the Straits Quay Retail Marina in Penang.

The campaign launched in July 2018 offers homebuyers exclusive packages for selected E&O landmark properties in Penang, Iskandar Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur city centre plus a chance to win one of two Mercedes Benz C-Class C200 AMG on offer.

All it took was two days for Hong Kong couple Wong Tat Leung and Lam Ching Ching to decide on buying their holiday home at Quayside Seafront Resort Condominium.

As a bonus, their impulse purchase was made worthwhile when they won themselves a Mercedes Benz C 200 AMG.

The lucky draw win was part of the “Luxury Living” campaign kicked off by the premier lifestyle developer on July 16 and will end on Dec 31, 2018.

E&O group marketing and sales senior general manager Wayne Wong said the campaign was in line with E&O’s aim to offer discerning homebuyers premium homes with superlative quality in choice locations.

“The campaign has been a resounding success and we are pleased to have reached both local and international purchasers.

“This demonstrates that there will always be a demand for well-designed properties in strategic locations and that the E&O brand name still commands a premium in the marketplace.”

Wong and Lam attributed their win to their friend who coaxed them to make the purchase.

“Our friend bought his unit at Quayside and invited us to visit him when we came here for holiday.

“His pride in being an E&O homeowner was quite infectious and we were impressed by the distinctive concepts, superior quality finishes and the premier location of Seri Tanjung Pinang development that we decided to join the club!

“We had thought of getting it as an investment, but we fell in love with the property that we have now decided to make it our holiday home,” Wong said.

His wife Lam sang the same tune, adding that the gold award secured by Quayside in the EdgeProp Malaysia’s Best Managed Property Awards 2018 assured her that they were making the right decision in terms of product quality.

With the win by Wong and Lam, there is now one more Mercedes Benz C-Class C200 AMG up for grabs during the next draw when the campaign ends on Dec 31. Each property unit purchase is entitled for one lucky draw entry.

For full details and terms and conditions on E&O’s “Luxury Living” campaign, please log on to www.eoluxuryliving.com or check out E&O’s official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/easternandorientalberhad

A developer is planning to build a theme park on the southern part of Jerejak Island, the state legislative assembly heard today.

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow (PH – Padang Kota) said the developer submitted a development master plan for the island two years ago, adding that this had been approved.

“The theme park was part of the master plan the developer submitted,” he said when replying to an oral question by A.Kumaresan (PH – Batu Uban).

The master plan also included a bridge to connect Bayan Mutiara on Penang Island to the smaller Jerejak Island that is located on the east coast of the main island.

However, Chow said local authorities have not received any request for planning permission for the theme park.

He confirmed that the developer submitted an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the whole project on Jerejak on June 21.

“The EIA takes into account the ecological impact of the project and the report was approved on July 20,” he said.

He said the master plan only involved developing part of the island’s coasts and will not encroach onto hill land above 76 metres.

Since it is not on hill land, Chow said a detailed geographical impact study was not necessary.

Kumaresan then asked a supplementary question on whether there were plans by the Tourism and Culture Ministry to turn Jerejak into a heritage site.

He also raised concerns about traffic in and out of the island from the proposed bridge connecting it to the main island.

Chow responded to say the state government has not received notification from the ministry about any plans to turn the island into a heritage site.

On the bridge, he said the initial plans for traffic using the bridge are only restricted to electric cars and only for residents on the island.

Source: Malay Mail