Pykett Avenue » anilnetto.com

Developer ordered to rebuild bungalow

Development issues, Malaysian finance/business, Sustainable development 51 Responses »

Feb 252011

The Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) has ordered Klassik Tropika, a subsidiary of the Mah Sing Group, to rebuild an illegally demolished colonial-era bungalow to its original condition.

This is a step in the right direction. The even bigger question is, what’s going to happen to the RM280 million high-rise plan for the Pykett Avenue site? Will MPPP reject the plan as a lesson to all? Or will the plan eventually be approved when the uproar has died down? The developer had bought the site from a private company in December 2009 for RM38.7 million (RM262 per sq ft), according to a filing with Bursa Malaysia.

See this report from theSun:

Restore building to original condition, developer told
Himanshu Bhatt

GEORGE TOWN (Feb 23, 2011): A developer that has been ordered to rebuild a colonial-era bungalow here after illegally demolishing it last year is required to restore it to its original condition, the Penang government has clarified. Continue reading »

Small fine for Pykett Ave demolition

Development issues, Malaysian finance/business, Malaysian history 52 Responses »

Jan 182011

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 »

Pykett Avenue demolition: Update

Accountability, Housing, Malaysian finance/business 13 Responses »

Dec 162010

While the MPPP are going through the motions of taking legal action against those responsible for the sudden demolition of 20 Pykett Avenue, it appears to be also going through the motions of processing the development plans for the area.

From what I hear, the MPPP has not (yet) approved any development plans. Meanwhile, though, take a look at this: the MPPP is now calling for neighbours’ objections to the plans.