Fwd: Chowrasta market

Begin forwarded message:

From: Khoo Salma <snkhoo@gmail.com>
Date: July 30, 2012 23:07:09 GMT+08:00
To: Patahiyah Bt Ismail <hiyah@mppp.gov.my>, Yew Tung Seang <tsyew@mppp.gov.my>, "chowkonyeow@penang.gov.my" <chowkonyeow@penang.gov.my>
Cc: Timothy Tye <asiaexplorers@gmail.com>, "Sheau Fung, Ho" <sheaufung@pht.org.my>, Rebecca Duckett <rebeccaduckett@mac.com>, Hamdan Abdul Majeed <hamdan.majeed@khazanah.com.my>, Dato Dr Anwar Fazal <anwarfazal2004@yahoo.com>, kevin low <lsd.sps@gmail.com>, GTWHI <limcp@gtwhi.com.my>, Penang Heritage Trust <info@pht.org.my>, laurenceloh.lla@gmail.com, Penang Citizen <citizenchant.group@gmail.com>, zairil <zairil@penanginstitute.org>, Clement Liang <clement@pht.org.my>, "Maimunah bt. Mohd Sharif" <ydp@mpsp.gov.my>
Subject: Re: Chowrasta market

Dear YB Chow, Yang Dipertua Patahiyah,

Thank you YB Chow for inviting us to give comments on the Chowrasta Market survey today. We will make comments according to the form given. In the meantime, I would just like to give a few preliminary comments about the briefing. Here is a quick timeline:

early or middle of 2011 - we heard about the Badan Warisan Survey

Dec 2011 - proposal for the car park andC partial redevelopment of Chowrasta was announced 

2 July MPPP invited PHT to hear about proposal for car park and bringing the traders in from the street.

27 July - Janet Pillai informs us that the Think City-sponsored Badan Warisan Survey is on the website. 

27 July - We were alerted by Citizen's Chant that the Badan Warisan Survey would be presented at Chowrasta today 30 July.

Today at the briefing, I asked a few questions about how many people are using the market, what kind of sampling was done and so forth, and was told to read the report. In fact for every question I asked I was told to read the report. However, upon further questioning, I found that the answers to the questions I asked were not in the report. 

I also asked whether upon embarking on the survey Badan Warisan was briefed about the proposed car park, and the answer was that was not part of the brief. In fact the survey emphasised the importance of the street market, which I certainly agree with.

What is confusing is that the presentation on July 2 not consistent with the presentation today on 30 July.  The survey does not recommend a 140 bay car park. It emerges that there is information in the survey which is not presented, that there are further discussions with focus groups, and further discussions between MPPP and Think City and these may have led to the proposal. 

However this was certainly not mentioned at Chowrasta today. Instead we are asked to respond to a survey - the key recommendations of which have already been ignored and discarded.

The announcement in Buletinmutiara says that the upgrading will include a new multi-storey car park - which will certainly pollute the market, encourage more car use to the detriment of pedestrians, bus users, trishaw users and public transport users - and yet make Chowrasta eligible for Green Index certification.

Can you imagine for example, if the MPPP were to celebrate Earth Day by announcing the building of a new car park?  I know that the term Green Index is flexible but I did not realise it was this flexible. 

We should have been presented with the survey first, annd asked for feedback. And if the MPPP is adamant about a car park in Chowrasta or even anywhere in the World Heritage Site - there should certainly be a Heritage Impact Assessment done by an independent third party. It is not in the SAP which has been endorsed by the state and approved by UNESCO.

There is no dispute that the market needs improving and we are glad that LLA which has much experience with heritage has been appointed the consultant. We had a discussion with Laurence Loh and he says that the brief from the car park comes from MPPP and so as consultant he is merely following the brief. That is why I feel I have to write this email.

I would like to thank YB Chow and Yang Dipertua for opening the process to public consultation. I know your intentions are good and that you want the best for Penang. I also know you are under a lot of pressure to provide car parking. 

But please remember that CARS ARE NOT GREEN, and that UNESCO recommends restriction of traffic in the World Heritage Site, not providing more car parking in the World Heritage Site. From a planning point of view, multi-storey car parks next to the Fort Cornwallis, next to religious monuments and in the heart of the peope's market should simply not even be considered.

We have to realise that the Chowrasta is the most important and heavily used multicultural public facility in the World Heritage Site.  We should recognize it as an Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) hotspot. There is the silent majority of users who have no cars, they buy food and carry it back on foot or by bus to their homes to cook it, they should be put first before car users, because they do not have the option of driving to TESCOs or other markets. 

We have already relocated Prangin Market. If we keep undermining our ICH hotspots, we will be systematically driving the life out of the World Heritage Site. We are all willing to provide ideas and work with MPPP for better and truly green solutions. 

Khoo Salma, Penang Heritage Trust

Buletinmutiara
MPPP is inviting the public to a public briefing and viewing of the Chowrasta Market upgrading. The proposals for the upgrading include making Chowrasta the first market to obtain Green Building Index certifcatiion. A new multi-storey car park with approximately 140 parking bays will be incorporated into the current building. New escalators and elevators will be build for heavy usage and also to cater for people with special needs (OKU).

The public viewing and briefing will be held on :

Date : 30 July 2012 (Monday)
Time : 2 pm
Venue : 1st floor, Food Court, Chowrasta Market
Public is invited

A second Focus Group Workshop will be held on :

Date : 6 August 2012 (Monday)
Time : 2 pm
Venue : 1st floor, Food Court