Crucial info missing from draft Penang Hill special area plan display

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The Jabatan Perancang Bandar dan Desa will be briefing the public on the draft Penang Hill special area plan on Sunday, 1 December at 10.00am at Auditorium A, fifth floor, Komtar.

Penang Hill SAP banner

The draft SAP is now being displayed at Komtar Level 3 from now until 11 December (9.00am to 4.30pm) as well as at the lower station of Penang Hill.

But from what I hear from a contact, the display at Komtar does not mention a couple of key points:

1. No mention of the cable car proposal. Probably because this is an ‘add-on’, riding piggy back on the draft SAP. But the cable car proposal is the elephant in the room that will have the biggest impact on Penang Hill.

2. No mention of the maximum number of people that should be allowed to preserve the biodiversity and environment at the hill-top. This is ironic as the SAP touts the green concept while the Penang Hill Local Plan recommends a maximum carrying capacity of 10000 people/day, which is already being reached or exceeded during peak periods.

Related to the above is the uncertainty over the adequacy of the infrastructure required to support the higher carrying capacity such as water supply and sewarage disposal.

Also, it appears that there has been no traffic impact assessment at the sites of the base stations for the proposed cable cars such as at the Youth Park where traffic congestion is a real possibility.

You can submit your feedback online at this link.

We need to take an interest in what is happening at Penang Hill, as certain big-time developers may already be fantasising about some kind of Genting Highlands-type resort taking shape at the summit. In 1990, pressure from the Penang public saved the hill from encroachment by a crony developer.

But, more recently, we have seen how the 250-feet-above-sea-level threshold (above which property development is prohibited) has been breached. In many ways, Penang Hill is the last natural sanctuary on the island.

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OM Saigal

The basics of developing Penang Hill without a far-sighted vision will lead to more taxes. As bigJoe99 knows, we are not HK’s Peak which was gradually developed last century. It has a decent road for both business, buses and so on.
Planning behind closed doors is not a sellout, it is cheating….

Yang

Very Angry, We are not adun and is not obliged to blindly support anyone. A frog is one who being voted in the party of that choice jump to another betraying the people in that constituent. See the difference. We are not in the 50s or 60s where we support blindly but I still support DAP LGE govt and many others DAP representatives. If they are not good, its my right to give support to another. It`s the Raiya and Jardip that is the … worst Adun. Try writing a complaint to these 2 and see what you get. There… Read more »

Priyanka

Yang I flip thru The Star (no buying, only worth a browse for the comics at many places foc) in less than 2 minutes to read the headlines imposed upon readers. Past few days Jeff Ooi bombarded on “kucing kurap” matter. Also my Ah Pek friend said in chinese paper he was blasted on Jelutong Affordable housing Issues. He was formerly a prominent blogger like Anil now as MP has no blog to shoot back ?? Jardip & Raiya may hav different approach and probably you 3 can sit down to thrash out once for all over a meal (char… Read more »

Chiak Campur-Campur Shiok-Shiok

Char Hor Fun + Roti Tosai + Susu Kambing (milked previously in Kampung Buah Pala) 🙂 !
Shahrukh Khan coconut tree music to soothe angry Yang 🙂 !
Cheers Kopi Orr Orr kau kau!

Kucing Kool Rap

To placate the now angry Malays & MPPP workers, Kucing Kool Rap suggests Jeff Ooi sing ko-tai style P. Ramlee’s Ku Rindu Pada Mu 🙂 !

Yang

First the cable car and now the Craig hotel and sooner the casino, theme park and some sort and finally end in the rape of Penang hill. http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=193612:amanresorts-penang-hill-project-takes-off&Itemid=3#axzz2lty5FbVQ Stylo Logan : Its not being sour grape. Burnt or not it has nothing to do with the state govt. Either way I still win. For your info, it has come to my knowledge that LMC houses are being sold directly by the developer at exhorbitant prices of 350k direct to buyer who have another houses whose name are not in the housing list. It means that those in the waiting list… Read more »

tunglang

Is the state gomen playing Poker with Penangites? Hiding some sensitive cards while playing a peek-a-boo thinking we are fools & senang lupa baby-minded? Let’s get it straight. Show us the long hidden ‘sensitive’ Local Plan inclusive of Penang Hill & all the (unsustainable?) land laws pertaining to its implementation & regulation. No point telling us Penang Hill still cannot sustain tourist traffic + volume given the Speedy Gonzales Fridge Train & later on telling us the hill has to be ‘reinvented’ to sustain all forms of tourist comforts & expectations, & tourism marketing forecast of consultants. Marketing product is… Read more »

Priyanka

Char Hor Fun without meat, eggs, prawns are economic fried kuay teow with tau geh as only liao (may be tau eu sauce). Current price is RM1.20 to RM1.50 per serving.
Blame Developers if tau geh is removed from economic fried kway teow or bee hoon ?????

Very Angry

As the popular saying, Yang is one of suddenly enlightened frogs. There a plenty in Sabah particularly from the P party.

Yang

Don`t worry, sure there will be. Anywhere fill with people, these establishment will go including the cronies tycoon. This where to make money at the expense of the environment.

Stylo Logan

I sense lots of sour grapes in your writings. Got burnt in property speculation?

henson

Anil My friend just went to Komtar. It’s true the Cable Car info is not on display. You got to ask the person in charge there and he/she will show you the cable info (the plan and cost). My friend asked if so-called cable project to be sponsored/paid by Federal Government. The reply was it’s state project. If Private investment do not support the cable car venture, will the State Government going to increase CUKAI to fund the project ? Also if Federal Government can create one for Langkawi, why not pay in full for Penang Hill so as not… Read more »

eng hock

I bet sooner (Ah Soon can confirm) on top of Penang Hill we shall have
a) kopi o kau kay starrybuckish style.
b) t-shirts unlike those sold by the streets of Peng today but carry logos like H&M-UNIQLO-Forever21
c) Burger King McD instaed of traditional Ramlee Burgers at street corners
d) Fushion-style chendol / ais kacang even ori-maestro Tan kengkwee cannot match in presentation
e) Nasi Kandar + Nasi Lemak fusion that Line Clear or Beratur cannot match in terms of presentation !

I just can’t wait for Transformed or Revitalised Penang Island. Bravo !

Rasputin

Look here…..if they display and expose every single detail and item of the master plan then…susah mau cari makan laa. Display some and hide some. Later, when everything cools down then these … barons would quietly implement their hidden agenda. If the people make loud noise just put the project on hold and blame their staff and workers for making decisions WITHOUT their knowledge. The UMNO-BN folks, who are supposed to raise the issue, and their connections, may have development plans of their own. Any wander why they are so quiet? Even if they do make noise I bet you,… Read more »

Misai Kucing

Are they planning a Jurassic Park?
Or a CAT Park?
Penang Hill will be ripe for a make-over.

Yang

Remember how KTK was against and decided not to overdevelop Penang Hill. Now the Tokong LGE is doing it. Who to blame except you and me hahah for trusting in him. Well many are happy and they will be laughing to the bank. See how the laksa guy at Air Itam market and all the stall people laughing and praising the tokong. You talk environment they talk money money money and with prices going up and up and the blame is on Ah Cheap and tokong helping you to overcome it. This way it will be tokong again next GE.

Island Joe

The thought of Penang Hill becoming like the environmental disaster that is Cameron Highlands or the beacon of bad taste that is Genting makes me sick to the stomach. I ask myself, what actually is the benefit? Why would you spend millions to build additional capacity to what is essentially about 30 private homes, one or two hotels, and maybe a handful of food outlets? It makes no sense. The answer is that there is no benefit UNLESS they plan to put a whole lot more commercial businesses and additional infrastructure on the top of the hill. Which I suspect… Read more »

bigjoe99

10,000 limit per day? HK’s Peak has already 18,000 per day AVERAGE, with highs of 30,000-40,000 per day AND its MUCH smaller.

Please come down to earth everyone has to live on..

Yang

All the same !!! Both have cronies just like one crony who is able to sell LMC direct at above prices. One crony have been given the Spice despite objection and benefit with land to build thousand of landed properties. Another crony will soon develop the botak hill. A few cronies are being given to reclaim land and build high end condo. Batu Kawan are split up for a few cronies. Who do you think will benefit the Penang Hill and Cable project couple with the tunnel. Look no further and see who are the tycoon and biggest developers in… Read more »

OWC

Get to know LGE more with this recent exclusive interview (in English) done over tea session:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s90_gra674