Residents of Tanjung Bunga packed a press conference this morning to protest against a Boon Siew Group project that will see two 50-storey buildings, one 49-storey building and one 34-storey building sprouting in the area.
The project is located between Jalan Sungai Kelian and Jalan Loh Poh Heng.
The residents claim the project will have an effective density of 49 units per acre whereas the Penang Structure Plan 2007 only allows 15 units per acre for the area. A lawyer at the press conference said MBPP policies and guidelines cannot override the text in the Structure Plan, which was gazetted. The text should also take precedence over the rough sketch in the Plan which was surreptitiously amended to show Tanjung Bunga as a primary corridor with a higher density, said the lawyer.
Even if the area is considered a primary corridor, the maximum density allowed under the Structure Plan is 30 units per acre. The “60 per cent affordable housing” cannot be added to this maximum density, said the lawyer. Instead, any “affordable housing” should be included in the maximum density allowed.
Moreover, strata title holders in the adjacent Desa Embun Emas did not receive individual notices informing them that they could object to the project.
The Town and Country Planning Act requires the MPPP to serve a notice on “the owners of the neighbouring lands” (within 20 metres) to inform them of their rights to object, said the lawyer. Owner is defined as “the registered proprietor of the land”.
The Management Corporation is the registered proprietor of the common property, whilst the individual unit owners are the registered proprietors of the units (which of course includes the land on which the units are constructed), added the lawyer. “The ‘management corporation’ and the ‘unit owners’ are separate legal entities. They have different addresses for service of notice. Hence, in my view, all should be given notice to object.”
Present at the press conference were Desa Embun Emas residents committee chairman George Lee, Tanjung Bunga Adun Teh Yee Cheu, Penang Island City Councillor Syerleena Abdul Rashid and representatives of the Tanjung Bunga Residents Association, including its new and immediate past president. Activists Dr Cecilia Ng and Susan Siew were also present.
So far, over 1,000 Tanjung Bunga residents have signed a petition opposing this highrise high-density project.
An online petition has just been launched as well.
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Well, it’s even worse in Tanjung Tokong. Ideal is going to build 2000++ affordable homes on one small piece of 9.9 acres of land. Please teach the residents in Tanjung Tokong how to protest! I am getting fed up with Penang already.
So Boon Siew Group is the culprit?
Do not be selfish. We need high density high rise development so that more people can have homes in land scarced Penang island.
High density, high end condo sold to high end rich from overseas.
Too bad, as the area there has gone up in valuation to at least 700psf and developers tend to build higher and higher to cover the cost.
BSG owned this property for decades already. It’s not a newly bought land.
Move to Bayan Baru area lah. Better planning less prone to landslide issue.
Near to airport, Relau Metropolitan Park, Schools, USM, makan makan aplenty !
You must be joking. Bayan Baru lagi teruk
You get what you elect. The Tanjung Bungah folks are among the most educated lot in Penang. So express your dissatisfaction via the ballot box.
Yes do it right next GE
Don’t be an idiot. BN regime will bring you more misery!
I have been an idiot for too long voting in DAP. Look like my life now is more misery than before during Gerakan
Power corrupts absolute power corrupts absolutely.
I guess there will be more to come? Between hudud and corruption, which is the greater evil?
Can hudud make any difference when it comes to tackling of corruption given the fact that what is glaringly lacking is the will to apply the existing laws rather than the laws per se.
There is some sort of technical problem with the link?
No, I haven’t put the link yet.
There is now a link to your article, hope you don’t mind http://tanjongbunga.blogspot.com/2015/04/anil-netto-reports-on-1000-residents.html