A property development project near the Pulau Tikus market has left some nearby residents upset. They are worried about congestion around the market and they want to see the Traffic Impact Assessment report.
S H Tan reports on a residents meeting organised by the Penang State Assembly member for Pulau Tikus, Koay Teng Hai, last Saturday.
The meeting, held at the MPPP office near the Pulau Tikus market in Jalan Pasar, was attended by Planning Department Director Haji Roslan, MPPP traffic engineer Rajendran and about 50 residents.
About the project:
– Moulmein Rise by the Belleview Group (http://www.belleview.com.my/node/121)
– 27-storey commercial complex to be built on the site of a current open air car park along Moulmein Road. (Shop offices at level 1 and 2 and ‘lifestyle suites’ from level 5 to 27, according to project website).
– only about 30m from the Pulau Tikus Market and right in the middle of a badly congested area
– MPPP said developer allowed to build high-density with plot ratio of 5:1
– 200 parking lots reserved for office staff
– 90 parking lots allocated for public use
Issues raised
The MPPP claimed they had sent out letters to affected residents staying within a 20m radius from the project site to submit their objections in June 2011.
But several residents said they did not receive the letters.
The MPPP approved planning permission for this project in September 2011. The previous plan by the developer was to build high-rise residential units; residents petitioned and staged a protest in 2004
The residents asked why the project was approved now when there were strong objections forcing the project to be put on hold in 2004. They claimed that there was a previous height restriction of not more than seven storeys for the area. They wanted to know asked who rezoned this area to high-rise, high density and commercial use and when.
The residents also asked why only 90 parking lots are being allocated for public use when the current open air car-park has a capacity of about 200 cars. They also wanted to know why only 200 parking lots had been allotted for office staff use when there will be an estimated 500 cars users at least (assuming 10 office lots per storey, 4 staff per office lot and 50 per cent drive to work. This works out to 27 storeys x 10 office lots x 4 staff x 50% = 500 car users).
Where would the extra cars (for the office staff, market goers, public and visitors to the offices) be parked? What are the assumptions of the study in the Traffic Impact Assessment? What are the conditions set (if any) to approve the TIA? The residents requested that the TIA report be made public out of public interest. (Penang’s Freedom of Information Bill was gazetted in February this year.)
Roslan explained that the MPPP approved the project based on its meeting technical requirements e.g. parking space requirement of 1 lot per 1000 sg ft.
But the residents wondered why the MPPP is using an irrelevant guideline which favours the developer and does not taking care of the public’s needs? What does it take for MPPP to change the guidelines and make it relevant to today’s needs? They claimed MPPP seemed to be hiding behind these guidelines and using the same excuse of “developer has met the guidelines” every time there is a resident’s objection.
The residents also asked where all the market goers would park without getting their vehicles clamped for the next two to three years while the project is in progress.
Generally the meeting was quite emotional with some residents very angry.
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Technically, everything seems to be in order that is 1 car park for every 1000 sg ft. I understand that at another Belleview project that is All Seasons at Farlim also has 200 car park space and the Giant Hypermarket there is going to be one of the larger ones. Wait till when the hypermarket opens. Already the expanded Lebuhraya Thean Tek is now a mess.
With this small plot in Pulau Tikus, it will be a chaos.
Not only chaos, I anticipate going for my night makan-makan behind the Pulau Tikus market a parking space headache.
I also anticipate the hawkers taking advantage of more high heeled Tham Chiak Kuis from the new high rise with price increase.
There goes my favorite Lok Lok, Sar Hor Fun, Char Koay Teow.
Tung lang,
You don’t have to worry. Macalister Road or the town area won’t be so congested as the suburban. Development are now mostly on the outskirt and further up. .
Oh yes, tried the lok lok at Pulau Tikus market a few weeks ago. The cincalok sauce is fantastic, first time
I love the Lok Lok kacang gravy which never fail to get my million taste buds dancing cha cha & saliva flowing uncontrollably like Anil’s river of truth!
Order Char Koay Teow & pour this gravy on top like Mt Everest high and your appetite can match Sir Edmund Hillary’s hunger pang at the top of his climb!
I particularly like the bloody Kerang & slippery Jiu Hoo tentacles (cuttle fish) dip in such heavenly gravy!
What a night of sweaty (food) affair without the Ooooh & Aaaarh hidden behind the “Good Morning” mini China towel!
You may be right about the guidelines. MPPP is simply making use of technicalities to get away with anything. To me it is very simple. Guidelines have to first and foremost make sense. People making it have to use at least some of their brain. Secondly they must be reasonable. 1 lot for 1000sf may be enough for residential units like condos. Agreed. But for commercial units/malls/hypermarts etc, that same rule will not work. A 10 year old can do the math. Don’t need engineers and traffic consultants. Imagine if Tesco or Gurney Plaza had only 200 lots. What would… Read more »
Kevin, I think you miss the point. Because Tesco and Supermarket wanted to have more business and to cater to their clients, they have build more than the required car park. As for housing, the developer have adhered to the guideline and if I am not mistaken it is 1 1/2 car park for every unit built with another 10% allotted for visitors car park. I am also a supporter of PR but lets be fair. With land so expensive in Penang island, the developer and govt has to balance thing out. Developers are also building many landed properties and… Read more »
I met one particular developer in Butterworth who promote his properties at less than 200K for a 1000+ sq ft condo in early 2011.
Now this particular condo is selling for RM315K onwards (for first hand buyers)!
An increase of almost 60% after a year!
Even a Char Koay Teow Ori-Maestro cannot ‘char’ the prices that fast!!!
Increase in Indon workers salaries & material costs? Where is my abacus?
so Yang tell your son the longer the delay the opportunity cost will escalate higher when Perai (& other mainland areas) properties get into crazy $pin like in the island.
The whole area around the market is already grossly congested. It is crazy to
I asked my son, lets go over the mainland. We shall have a big house with garden and a quiet and serene surrounding. The answer is he rather live in the 980 sq ft apartment in congested Penang
tell your son in mainland the girls there are less materialistic and less make up and more naturally beautiful. in island penang dating a girl is very costly.
Go further East to Ipoh. There the Chinese girls are reputed fair & lovely. And (probably) some are good at cooking Tau Geh Chicken Rice + Ipoh White Kopi!
And the weather is generally good with the Main Range within sight creating more rainfall than in Penang. That could be the reason why couples stay married & cool headed in Ipoh (that’s my assumption)!
Otherwise, go to Kulim, where you can find the people generally less spendthrift & many on the way to become millionaires!
Plot ratio went up from 1:1 to 1:3 already very bad, now it go up to 1:5. lgE keep getting bad to worst over his housing policy (wonder if he ever has one or not). This is suppose to be the people centric state government, but the last 4 years have witnessed how lgE ignored the interest of the people and gave all the lubang to developers to do what they want. Who care about traffic congestion, incompatible built environment, and lacking supporting amenities? Stop asking the stupid question why the state government now approve the project when it was… Read more »
Ong, What do you expect with land prices now at RM 200 per sq ft and building materials that have gone up substantially. Its almost the same globally unless we go into the ulu and live, but then sooner or later the ulu will also be swamped with development and buildings. An example is Sungai Ara, Relau, Bayan Lepas which were once considered as ulu. Balik Pulau will be next. The only way is to control and reduce population but that racial .. kutty want Malaysia population to go up 70 millions and do you know the reasons why. To… Read more »
Yang, I am a supporter of the PR gov too but it is only fair if we criticise when they are wrong and praise when they are right. What they have done here is very clearly wrong. I know that BN was not better then but that does not mean that the PR people are God and can never be wrong. Just merely ten meters from the proposed dev there are houses. It is therefore a residential area of low-density. Parking is already an issue in the area now. Nobody is objecting to development on that land. Penangites all love… Read more »
A 595 sqr ft KSL condo (near Century Garden) at Johor Bahru is selling for RM560K (with free furniture, air-cond, TV, fridge, fiber optics built-in).
So BN in Johor does not mean affordable housing for its people. That’s why people in JB has to work in singapore for the higher wages and higer dollar.
looks like until the so-called “transformstion into a high income nation” become a reality, wiser young people choose to work overseas to earn more to later spend in msia like buying properties.
so now i advise my son and nephews to find careers in Spore, Brunei, Australia etc and come back later to be able to afford the homes in Msia.
Hah, this is another incompetency in LGE and my source of votes. Dear Penangites, you are welcome to vote BN because there is alternative to DAP LGE. DAP LGE is proven is not an angel in Tunku Aziz case. He is so lucky with Tunku. With other people, maybe MACC already step in to investigate. We must CHANGE now. Honeymoon period has long gone and the elected pakatan government is NO GOOD as you all can see in this and other instances. Please give BN a term to prove that they can do it better than pro-developers pakatan administrators !!!… Read more »
Gerakan had 18 years with Mr Bo-Hood and he screwed it up, top down, up side down and whichever way we can think of…He has done it.
DAP has given a term to govern and they are doing NO GOOD there. Shifting state debt to federal is not an achievement for DAP but a sign that BN is very much care for Penangites. So, a change MUST be done in next GE.
Just like a public listed company, the Penang govt is smart in restructuring their debts. That is what we call good governance otherwise just like the public listed company it will become insolvent and be delisted.
This is what we want, a competent, smart, shrew and good government. Certainly not an incompetent, corrupt, crony wise and untransparent & shaded government
That is why the water deal between the Selangor and Federal govt is still be delayed because the wise and smart PR Selangor government will not be cheated though a shaded water deal with the Federal government and their cronies..
Federal government BN have no obligation to absorb Penang state debt. There is nothing LGE can do to force 1Malaysia PM Najib. And the shifting of debt has nothing to do with LGE. It is the kindness of my 1Malaysia PM Najib that initiate the move. Be grateful to BN and don’t be a stupid moron praising LGE without a reason.
The only moron who sings praises for no reason is you.
53 years of AMMO & Barang Naik is enough. Enough is Enough. Look at the mess created by Penang Gilakan Party where apartments are being built haphazardly on the slope of the hill in Paya Terubong & Farlim. Compare it with the recent development in Jalan Thean Teik such as Boulevard, BL Avenue Home, Season, Shineville etc.. Although it is high rise, its standard and quality is way beyond what Gilakan has done in Paya Terubong and Farlim. Paya Terubong and Farlim has now become a semi ghetto. Tunku Aziz loss is no loss at all and there is no… Read more »
Anil, the >25º hill slope development @ Lebuh Rambai, Paya Terubong (I heard) was (allegedly) ‘kau tim’ by the Barang Naiki minion MCA for this BN connected developer.
Landed property residents there have kau peh kau boh as the red earth & digging had gone too far reaching their back doors!
Have you received the pictures?
Wait till rainy season comes just before Hungry Ghost Month! There will be more howlings!
Yes we must CHANGE now.
53 years of honeymoon is enough
.
CHANGE PUTRAJAYA
Gerakan -don’t try and make yourself an angle. You were given a great chance for so many years and look how you have allowed over development of the Batu Ferringhi area for your buddy buddy developer friends. Admittedly Pakatan is not perfect but at least we are seeing some change. Mr. Koay Teng Hai our Puau Tikus assemblyman come down to meet us and listen to our problems. Mr Teng Hock Nam only come to see us Pulau tikus residents when the general election is 2 wks away.
While the world economies & financial Babel are on the verge of chaos & collapse & disintegration, here we have property development on the verge of overrun as if there is eternity to build forever. As if there will be more richie willing buyers & confident speculators on spending spree regardless if there is an undisputed warning of The 2nd Great Depression coming our way, greater in depths & width than the 1st one of the early 20th Century. Knowing the impending danger, are the authorities so indifferent to the ‘welfare’ of the state & so helpless to allow such… Read more »
The positive thing we can derive from such congested concrete surroudings on the island :- 1) eventually motor vehicles activities come to a halt when the motorists simply can;t take the (pulluted) heat in the massive jam. 2) then the gomen shall declare gurney/pulau tikus/kelawei area to be non-motor vehicle zone. 3) with that, the residents and visitors shall commute by “vehicle 11 i.e walking) or cycling. 4) those motor enthusiasts will move to other areas like mainland to continue their driving indulgence. 5) penang city zone becomes green not by choice but by forced circumtances. 6) environmental advocates like… Read more »
Yes, what a wonderful world that would be!