
Artist's impression of the future BPO towers on current PDC's site
The Penang Development Corporation building will be demolished to make way for a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Prime project.
The project will be undertaken by a joint-venture company, formed by the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) and Temasek, in which PDC will take up a 51% stake.
InvestPenang director Datuk Lee Kah Choon said PDC was in the process of relocating to Mayang Mall in Bayan Baru.
“The PDC and its 415 workers will be shifted to Mayang Mall by the end of the year,” he told a press conference yesterday.
The four-storey PDC building, located on a 2.7ha site in Bayan Baru, will be replaced by a proposed 29-storey and 25-storey BPO towers, which are being planned to accommodate retail outlets, recreational facilities and open spaces.
“Together with the other Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC)-status buildings such as Suntech Tower, One Precinct and Mayang Mall in Bayan Baru, the area will form a BPO hub.
“The BPO hub is projected to create 4,000 jobs in three years,” Lee said.
He added that PDC had the option of moving to the BPO Prime when it was completed.
Lee said the demand for BPO offices was strong, especially if the building was MSC-certified.
The BPO Prime will be going for MSC certification.
“The global outsourcing market, of which BPO services are part of, is projected to grow to US$625bil in 2017 from US$458bil presently,” Lee said.
On May 23 this year, the PDC signed a memorandum of understanding with Temasek to undertake the development of the BPO Prime and Penang International Technology Park (PITP) in Bayan Baru and Batu Kawan.
“Both projects will have a RM11.3bil gross development value.
“0nce completed, the BPO Prime will be managed by the Economic Development Innovations Singapore Pte Ltd,” Lee said.
The PITP project located on a 83ha or 206 acres will be completed in five to 10 years, according to Lee.
The PDC moved to its present location in Bayan Baru in 1993 from the Penang Skills Development Centre.
Source: StarProperty.my