Preserve buildings outside the heritage zone, too

By Melissa Darlyne Chow 0 comments

THE recent Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) full council meeting, held at the City Hall, yielded a rather interesting sight.

   Members of the Citizens Awareness Chant Group made their presence felt in the public gallery.

   This did not go unnoticed by council president, Patahiyah Ismail, who chaired the meeting.

   Patahiyah acknowledged the strong presence of the NGO members, stating that it was a good sign to see the gallery filled with people.

   She had noted that though the full council meeting was opened to the public, it was usually only the press who were present to cover it.

   But this aside, a more pressing and grave issue took centrestage at the meeting. Councillor Dr Lim Mah Hui stood up and spoke on the preservation and destruction in Penang's development.

 Dr Lim called for a stop to the demolition of all buildings on the island which are more than 50 years old and have architectural value.

   He further demanded that the MPPP make public the number of historically and culturally significant buildings that had been approved for demolition since 2008.

   Dr Lim listed a few of the buildings that had been torn down, including the beautiful mansion of Khaw Bian Cheng on Pykett Avenue, two historic bungalows on Burmah Lane -- one of which was occupied by the former Prime Minister of Thailand, Phraya Manopakorn Nititada, and two other bungalows along Brooks Road.

   He also said  the Khaw Bian Cheng mansion was torn down without a permit, while in the case of the Burmah Lane and Brooks Road residences, two of the three buildings in each location were torn down and only one was left standing in each place.

   He had some strong words to describe the demolition, calling it "architectural and historical mutilation", akin to "cutting one limb and preserving the other".

   Perhaps, a very sound point raised by Dr Lim was this: "It is myopic to only preserve the buildings in the core heritage zone and wantonly destroy important buildings in the buffer zones and other parts of the city."

   This is a very valid point.

As the aforementioned buildings show, these heritage structures are not just located within the heritage zone.

   Furthermore, tourists do not just visit the heritage zone. They explore other areas within the city as well.

   The council has a lot to answer and explain to the people concerning the heritage buildings that have been demolished, with or without a permit.

   MPPP can ill afford to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to this matter.

It needs to hear the views these NGOs have to offer.

   But that alone is not sufficient.

If Dr Lim's view that the MPPP's present attitude is that only houses in the heritage zone, or those that are designated heritage, are protected is anything to go by, the council needs to look into that as well.