RM1.68mil grants for 28 more projects in heritage zone

TWENTY-EIGHT grants totalling about RM1.68mil have been approved in the fifth round of the George Town Grants Programme (GTGP) under Think City Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional Bhd.

Think City executive director Hamdan Abdul Majeed said that out of the 28 projects, 16 involved physical conservation and restoration while the remaining 12 involved five technical grants and seven cultural mapping initiatives.

“Out of the 16 physical conservation projects, 10 are located in the core zone of the George Town World Heritage Site while the other six are in the buffer zone,” said Hamdan.

He added that feedback from George Town World Heritage Incorporated and the Department of National Heritage had also been taken into consideration for all the physical conservation projects reviewed by Think City’s technical advisory panel of experts.

“Our goal is to improve the World Heritage Site as a whole,” he told a press conference at the Menara KWSP in Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah.

Among the physical rejuvenation projects approved under the grants are the restoration of Loke Thye Kee restaurant in Jalan Burma which is popularly known as Penang’s oldest restaurant as well as several heritage houses along Malay Street and Bishop Street.

As for the technical assistance grants, Sri Mahamariamman Temple in Queen Street will undergo restoration works while funds will be made available for the conservation of the Church of Assumption.

Launched in December 2009, the three-year programme is a seed-funding initiative for urban rejuvenation projects within the George Town World Heritage Site.

To date, Think City has used up RM12.9mil out of the RM20mil worth of grants under the programme.

With the funds, more than 50 physical rejuvenation grants have been approved so far as well as 24 cultural mapping initiatives. - The Star