Update: The maximum fine under the law for this offence is RM500,000 or two years jail or both. The CM has described the RM6,000 fine imposed as a mere slap on the wrist and has instructed the MPPP to appeal for a heavier sentence.

The firm responsible for demolishing an old double-storey building along Pykett Avenue without local council planning permission was fined a small sum by the magistrate’s court yesterday.

Klassik Tropika Development Sdn Bhd of the Mah Sing Group was fined RM6,000 for the demolition, which took place just days before a scheduled MPPP inspection (probably to assess if the site had any heritage value) in July 2010.

This saga brings back memories of how a RM2 company was fined RM50,000 for the Christmas Day 1993 demolition of the historical Metropole Hotel, a property worth RM9.5 million back then. Continue reading »

 

The Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) is set to take action against the preemptive demolition of a building at 20 Pykett Avenue, the site of a large property development project. But will such action be enough of a deterrence in the future?

The building, though not gazetted as a heritage structure, was demolished without prior planning permission, prompting the Council to take legal action under the Town and Country Planning Act 1976. The MPPP is in the process of seeking a judgement and penalties including applying for a mandatory order to take appropriate future action. Continue reading »

 

Watch the last few moments before the Leaning Arch at the Penang Botanic Garden came crashing down.


Oops! That wasn’t supposed to happen – Photo credit: guangming.com Continue reading »