Penang sets aside allocation to build ‘cheap and good’ homes in Batu Kawan

Control mechanism must be in place to assure that the special priced houses do not later change hands at astronomical prices !!

How does spore control their HDB apartments ??

What PGGOV is doing is great but dont let this be abused, else all ur good work LGE goes to waste.

=====================================================

Saturday November 12, 2011

Penang sets aside allocation to build �cheap and good� homes in Batu Kawan

By DAVID TAN
davidtan@thestar.com.my

THE Penang Government is allocating RM500mil, generated from the sale of a 41.5ha prime site along the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway on the island, to set up an Affordable Quality Homes Fund.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the allocation was consistent with the state government�s commitment towards ensuring that affordable quality homes were made available for Penangites.

�A location for such housing has been identified in Batu Kawan (on the mainland) where 80.9ha of land has been earmarked to build some 15,000 units with prices ranging between RM72,000 and RM220,000,� he said.

He said three companies were shortlisted during the open tender for the 41.5ha land, sandwiched between the Penang Bridge and the soon-to-be-completed second Penang bridge.

Ivory Properties Group Berhad (IPGB) was awarded the tender with its price offer of RM240 per sq ft over a five-year period.

Lim was speaking to reporters at the signing ceremony yesterday of the purchase and development agreement between IPGB and Chief Minister Incorporated (CMI) and Penang Development Corporation (PDC).

State Economic Planning Unit deputy director Hafidzah Hassan signed on behalf of CMI, while PDC general manager Datuk Rosli Jaafar represented PDC, and IPGB chairman and group chief executive officer Datuk Low Eng Hock signed for IPGB.

IPGB and its joint-venture partner Dijaya Corporation Berhad plan to develop a mixed-development project with an estimated gross development value of RM10bil that will be completed in eight years.

A joint-venture company Tropicana Ivory Sdn Bhd has been formed to undertake the project.

POLO ground subterranean hawker centre - brilliant idea

Sunday November 13, 2011

Rep: Idea of underground hawker centre needs to be studied

By FONG KEE SOON
keesoon@thestar.com.my

GEORGE TOWN: The idea of an underground hawkers� complex at the Polo Ground is feasible but needs further study, said Datuk Keramat assemblyman Jagdeep Singh Deo said.

He said other factors must be taken into consideration besides cost.

�Polo Ground is one of the few remaining green lungs in the city and it�s also directly opposite the official residence of the Yang di-Pertua Negri,� he said in an interview.

In a recent statement, Jagdeep had said that RM270,000 from Penang Municipal Council�s 2012 Budget would be spent to renovate hawker stalls at the temporary site on Jalan Utama next to the Penang Hospital starting from January.

Penang Consumer Protection Association (PCPA) president K. Koris then slammed the plan, saying it would be a sheer waste of taxpayers� money.

Koris had said the better alternative was to construct a permanent hawkers� site for the traders near the hospital, and suggested an underground hawkers� complex.

Jagdeep said the council had tried searching for alternative sites but there are no suitable empty spaces along Jalan Utama.

�Six months ago it was proposed that the hawkers relocate to Jalan Datuk Keramat near the market, but they declined as it is would affect their customers who are mainly hospital staff and visitors,� he said.

The hospital has around 4,000 staff with more than 1,000 outpatients daily

Meanwhile, the hospital�s Board of Visitors chairman Lim Thoon Deong, who said the plan to upgrade the temporary site might add to traffic congestion, also supports the subterranean idea.

Lim also suggested that a car park be built there. �I had mooted the idea twice in press statements this year,� said Lim, who is also state MCA Public Services and Complaints Bureau deputy chief.

Jagdeep said traffic congestion was a non-issue as the stretch of road in front of the hawkers is a one-way street.

He also welcomed Lim to bring his suggestion directly to the council.

CM we are flooding as well - Pykett KhawSimBee Westland and Padang Victoria area

PGGOV we are flooding as well !!

We are in Padang Kota.

Metro

Home > Metro > North

Property

Search for Property

Tuesday November 15, 2011

RM1.8mil for drainage study

By WINNIE YEOH
winnie@thestar.com.my

PENANG will allocate RM1.8mil for a study of an integrated drainage system in the southwest district.

State Agriculture, Agro-based In-dustries, Rural Development and Flood Mitigation Committee chairman Law Choo Kiang said the study would also include design plans for the proposed upgrading of the system.

�The study is expected to be completed by February next year and it will be the blueprint for the drainage system in the area. The Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) has called for an open tender for the project and the consultant is expected to be selected by this week,� he said after inspecting Sungai Keluang in Bayan Lepas yesterday.

River inspection: Law (in white) and Abdul Rani inspecting Sungai Keluang in Bayan Lepas.

He said there were valid reasons to conduct the study, as some parts of the area suffered from frequent flooding.

�This area also has many factories and we want to prevent floods from recurring,� he said.

Law also said that the state government would allocate RM16mil next year for the maintenance, upgrading and for other remedial works to be carried out at the rivers and drainage systems in the state.

�This is an increase of RM4.5mil from this year�s allocation,� he said.

He added that all related authorities were instructed to monitor the river water levels since it is the rainy season now.

The Meteorological Department has forecasted an increase of 20% in the annual rainfall for Penang this year.

�So far we have not seen any serious flooding this year and we are keeping our fingers crossed that none will happen,� he said.

Desilting and dredging work at Sungai Keluang started yesterday and DID southwest district engineer Abdul Rani Zainon said the project was expected to take eight weeks to complete at a cost of RM60,000.

�We�ll desilt the river by 1m in depth. Last year, we have dredged the first half of the river, about 1km of it while the rest of the river, some 950m in length will be completed in this project,� he said.

For information regarding rivers and drainage issues, call the Penang Municipal Council�s hotlines at 04-2637637 or 04-2637000 or the Public Works Department (southwest district) at 04-8669040, or DID at 1300-80-1010.

Demolished in Penang CM said will not happen in Penang when PUDU jail was demolished

Penang Turf Club

He has promised a low density development, well if you don't believe
him, ask the people who went to New Zealand

Paying with prime land - Penang's new infra projects

Penang unveils transport blue print

Penang unveils RM8b traffic mitigation blueprint

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

November 14, 2011

Lim said the projects would be financed through land swaps involving premium real estate on the island. — File pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 14 — The Penang government today announced an ambitious RM8 billion plan to construct four major road and tunnel projects that aim to reduce traffic congestion in the state.

Touting it as the state government's biggest infrastructure exercise to date, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the projects — all of which will be conducted via open tender — will also allow greater access between the island and the mainland.

The proposed projects are a third (tunnel) link connecting Gurney Drive to Seberang Perai North District, a by-pass connecting Gurney Drive to the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu expressway, a link between Bandar Baru Air Itam to the same expressway, as well as a paired road to the existing coastal road from Tanjung Bungah to Teluk Bahang.

"We need a northern link connecting Gurney Drive to Butterworth, to make it easier for people in the mainland to come to the island, and this will ease up congestion in addition to the two Penang bridges.

"The estimated costs for this project will be between RM5 [and] RM8 billion and expected to be completed by 2020," Lim told reporters here.

The Penang CM said the state government will not provide any payments for the projects, and that the costs incurred will be recovered through a "competitive land swap" deals with prospective companies.

Lim said his administration will provide a preliminary financial proposal that will include the planned financing structure as well as bids to recover costs.

"The proposed land swap will involve the best prime land in Penang, which is in Gurney... the price of land in Penang will increase over the next few years, and this will benefit the companies who will undertake the road and tunnel projects."

He also said his administration was also looking at the possibility of conducting a toll system for the projects once they are completed, but added this was provisional and would depend on what interested companies had to offer.

A pre-qualification exercise briefing for prospective companies will be held in Penang on November 29. Application and questionnaire pro-forma forms will be given out then and bidders must submit the forms by 12pm, January 2012.

Works will tentatively begin sometime in 2015.