Source: TheStar

If Penang gets a low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT), it will likely be to the south of the current passenger terminal and only about 1km from the proposed islands to be reclaimed off the southern coast of Penang island.

It has been the dream of AirAsia and the Penang government to have the facility since 2007.

An inside source in AirAsia revealed that former chief minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon had given approval for AirAsia to build the LCCT on a 36ha piece of land at the coastal end of Penang International Airport in Bayan Lepas.

“But it met with resistance from the Transport Ministry then due to political reasons, and also because the plan was for the LCCT to be privately run, instead of by Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB).

image: https://content.thestar.com.my/smg/settag/name=lotame/tags=

“Now that there are new levels of political cooperation between the state and federal governments, it will be interesting to see if the 11-year dream can come true,” the source said.

The project was highlighted at the state assembly yesterday when Air Putih assemblyman Lim Guan Eng, who is also Finance Minister, hailed the move to have a new LCCT for Penang while debating the motion of thanks to the opening speech by Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas.

Lim, speaking to reporters outside the august Hall later, said: “We are not talking about expanding the present terminal but a totally new one that will use the same runway.”

The former chief minister said Putrajaya would talk to Air­Asia and MAHB on the LCCT plan.

“While AirAsia is very much interested to help, we still need to work out the specifics of the plan,” Lim said.

He said a solution was needed be­­cause the present airport in Bayan Lepas only has the capacity to handle 6.5 million passengers a year but arrivals last year hit 7.1 million and the number was expected to increase to 7.8 million this year.

Former Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi recalled that the LCCT plan was proposed in 2007 and said if it had been done 10 years ago, Penang would have had a different future.

“Penang is well positioned to be a regional hub for international tra­vellers who fly low-cost.

“Tourists who arrive on full-­service airlines will have plenty of options to travel elsewhere on low-cost flights. So this makes Penang attractive as a prime point of visits for tourists,” he said.

On July 31, AirAsia Group chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fer­nandes hinted that the low-cost airline giant was looking at plans to build an LCCT in Penang.

“A new terminal will help us increase our planes from five to 16 over the next five years. This will bring in about eight million more passengers per annum into Pe­­nang,” he said after a courtesy call on Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.

He added that the plans would feature both domestic and international routes.

The current Penang International Airport is the oldest in the country, having been built in 1935 when Pe­­nang was part of the Straits Settle­ment in South-East Asia ruled by the British.

It underwent a major upgrade in 1979 to accommodate Boeing 747s, then the largest planes in the world.

The terminal saw two significant facelifts in 2009 and 2013.

Source: TheStar.com.my

Location to be confirmed

A proposed residential development by PE Development (Penang) Sdn. Bhd at Batu Kawan. Strategically located next to Design Village, less than 2 minutes drive to the upcoming IKEA. It’s only about 20km away from the key employment centre of Bayan Lepas Free Trade Zone.

This development will see the construction of a 35-storey condominium, offering 496 residential units with various facilities.

This is still pending for approval. More details to be available upon project launch.

Project Name: (to be confirmed)
Location : Batu Kawan
Property Type : condominium
Built-up Size: (to be confirmed)
Total Units: 496
Last Update: Sep 2020
Indicative Price: (to be confirmed)
Developer : PE Development (Penang) Sdn. Bhd.

Location Map:

(Approximate location)

Kek Lok Si Temple will never be the same if the highway from Gurney Drive to the airport is built because a 300m-long elevated highway and a tunnel to Paya Terubong will be constructed just a few hundred metres behind the temple.

Kek Lok Si Temple is adamant that it will object to the project, especially since its views were never sought.

The proposed six-lane highway will cross the valley between Air Itam Dam and the temple.

The temple end of the highway joins with a 1.6km tunnel to take vehicles to the Paya Terubong stretch of the Pan-Island Link (PIL) 1. From the opposite side of the valley, the highway connects to a tunnel that stretches from Penang City Park.

This is described in the Detailed Environ­mental Impact Assessment (DEIA) report, which is available for public viewing till Aug 10 and pending approval from the Department of Environment.

The DEIA states that thousands of tonnes of earth and blasted granite from the tunnelling must be transported through the sole road leading to the temple, Jalan Balik Pulau, which goes downhill to Ayer Itam market.

It warns that the high soil erosion factor of the area can “damage both the work under construction and existing nearby structures such as condominiums, Kek Lok Si, Air Itam Dam and the Bukit Bendera complex”.

The DEIA report also states that the bored piling method of building the highway’s four piers and the controlled blasting technique of the tunnelling will not cause any damage to the temple or the dam.

Picture source: The Star

However, the 300m elevated highway was never mentioned in the executive summary of the DEIA report. It was first described only on the 160th page, marked as 2-7.

On the 578th page, marked as 7-113, the DEIA report states that the tunnel to Paya Terubong is “at the end of the Kek Lok Si Columbarium. Transportation of rock blast materials will be within the site. Access to the site is from Jalan Balik Pulau through the columbarium parking lots”.

The digital copy of the DEIA report is 1,195 pages long.

What shocked Kek Lok Si trustee Datuk Steven Ooi Teik Heng is that the temple was never asked for any feedback.

“How can you expect us to read hundreds of pages to find out what your plans for the temple are? No one ever sat down with us to get our views. I went to the Ayer Itam police station where the DEIA report was displayed to read it.

“But it was two thick volumes and so technical. There was no one there for me to talk to. I saw the phone number of the consultant in the report so I called and asked for details, but they wouldn’t tell me,” he lamented.

“I told them I was the temple trustee and left my number but no one called me back.”

Ooi told The Star yesterday that Kek Lok Si Temple would object to this stretch of PIL 1.

“The contractors must find another alignment for the link. We will never grant permission for them to use the columbarium as the project site and access road.

“The temple is a global icon of Penang. How many lorry trips down our steep and narrow road will it take to transport all the earth and granite out of the tunnel? How many years?” he said.

When asked about the highway behind Kek Lok Si, state Works Committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari said the alignment was unavoidable, just like the elevated highway section over Penang City Park.

“If we could have avoided Kek Lok Si, we definitely would have. We have several measures in place to make sure the construction has a minimal effect on the environment,” he said, urging the public to send their feedback on PIL 1 to the Department of Environment by Aug 24.

PIL 1 is part of the Penang Transport Master Plan.

The highway is designed to take vehicles from Gurney Drive to the airport in 15 minutes, compared with about 90 minutes on a bad day through the city’s traffic.

Source: TheStar.com.my

Residential overhang in Penang is still a major issue and the current market situation is not making it any better.

Overhang is defined as built properties that remain unsold at least nine months after completion.

The overhang in Penang is likely due to unaffordable property prices and financing issues.

The various cooling measures implemented by Bank Negara Malaysia has also made it more difficult for buyers to secure financing to purchase property.

The National Property Information Centre said in its latest report on Property Overhang Q1 2018 that Penang has unsold stock of 33.12 per cent.

According to the Valuation and Property Services Department in its Malaysian Property Market Report 2017, the residential overhang in Penang increased more than twofold to 3,916 units worth RM3.82 billion last year from 1,896 units worth RM1.47 billion in 2016.

The majority of residential overhangs in the state were condominiums and apartments priced at above RM500,000 per unit.

The unsold units under construction recorded a 13.9 per cent increase with 9,249 units (2016: 8,119 units).

However, the unsold not constructed units fell significantly by 97.3 per cent to 80 units last year (2016: 2,918 units) and this is probably because developers either scaled back on their launches or postponed them until there was more certainty in the market.

Developers may not need to worry so much going forward as the overhang situation in Penang could get better in the second half of this year or from next year onwards as the Penang government takes steps to review all charges currently imposed on developers to make property prices more affordable for consumers.

Among the charges to be reviewed are those for development, infrastructure and amenities.

Bernama reported recently that State Housing, Local Government, Town and Country Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo said the state planning committee had decided on the review at the request of Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.

Jagdeep said the charges inflated the prices of properties which would be borne by consumers, but upon review, is expected to fall.

“I have established a committee to conduct the review and is currently compiling the various charges being imposed,” he said the Penang Mapex 2018 which was launched by Chow.

Jagdeep said upon compilation of the charges, the committee would seek suggestions from Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association (Rehda) before making any final decision.

Rehda Penang chairman Datuk Toh Chin Leong said developers are still lumbered with a high number of unsold stocks.

“Rehda was thankful to the state government for assisting in promoting Mapex 2018 by providing special incentives, such as the waiver of the levy on foreign purchasers, and the two per cent levy on sub-sales within three years,” he said.

Source: NST Online

Yet another proposed landed residential development by Palma Budimas Sdn. Bhd. at Bandar Tasek Mutiara in Simpang Ampat. Located adjacent to Pearl Square 1 shop offices, just a stone’s throw away from Pearl City Sales Gallery. It is within 10 minutes walking distance to GEM International School, about 5km away from Bukit Tambun Toll Plaza.

This development will offer 62 units of 2-storey terraces, a community hall also be build for the residents.

This is still pending for approval. More details to be available upon project launch.

Project Name: (to be confirmed)
Location : Bandar Tasek Mutiara, Simpang Ampat
Property Type : 2-storey terrace
Built-up Size: (to be confirmed)
Total Units: 62
Indicative Price: (to be confirmed)
Developer : Palma Budimas Sdn. Bhd.

Location Map: