险压中休闲车 日月城山坡两度山石滚落

（槟城19日讯）垄尾日月城附近山坡1小时内两度发生山石滚落事件，庆幸没有殃及路过的车辆及造成人命伤亡。这起事件是于周六下午2时许发生山石滚落后，下午约2时30分左右，突然又有一块大石头从山坡上滚落至道路中央，险些殃及停在路旁的一辆休闲车。
路段暂关闭
国阵垄尾区协调员许文栊在接获投报后，第一时间赶往现场了解情况，并联络公共工程局前来清理。许文栊说，他已经指示公共工程局官员封锁现场，并在确保道路安全后才重开有关路段。他表示，为了解决山坡石头掉落问题，他也会致函予市政局地质工程部、公共工程局以及县属，促请他们派员到现场调查。
工程局派员即时鉴定山坡安全
山石掉落不久后，公共工程局即时派员清理，但是，无奈的是清理工作完成后，不到1小时，又再传出山石再次滚落的事件。事发后，垄尾区人民社警、槟州民联政府巡逻队也赶往现场了解情况，公共工程局也在事后封锁现场路段，并派员即时鉴定山坡石头安全。
另一方面，当地居民也担心石头会再次掉落，纷纷把停放附近的轿车驾走，避免殃及池鱼。居民促请槟州政府即时派员调查，并公布山坡地质报告的安全与否。- 光华

7万中廉屋竟卖21万 网友揭霹雳冷炒楼疑云

（槟城18日讯）7万5000令吉的中廉价屋，入伙不足一年即有人在网上以21万令吉放盘，掀中廉价屋“炒楼”疑云。日落洞国会议员黄泉安在面子书指，接获一名网友投诉指霹雳冷一栋原本价格7万5000令吉的中廉价公寓，被屋主以翻倍价格，放上产业公司网站出售，网友也提出疑问予黄泉安，询及当局是否能制止这类中廉价屋炒楼风。这栋中廉价公寓，也是去年黄泉安揭发的“变相起价”中廉价公寓。
当时，槟州房屋部发200多张公函，给认购上述中廉价屋单位申请者，以引导他们确认获得分配的单位屋价为7万余令吉，非发展商所指13万余令吉。有13名申请者发现单位变相起价后，向黄泉安投诉，揭发发展商强制购屋者须购泊车位等配套，致使价格调至13万余令吉。
黄汉伟：将介入调查
针对疑有人借中廉价屋“炒楼”疑云，黄泉安接受电访时指出，他已据网友提供的网页连接查悉网友的投诉。针对这现象，他已把问题电邮予槟州首席部长林冠英、槟州房屋发展委员会主席黄汉伟、槟州行动党主席曹观友、及槟州行动党秘书黄伟益反映。
他指出，黄汉伟也于较后给予电邮回应，指中廉价屋需过了5年期限，才能在自由市场上买卖，对方也表示将介入调查。对此，黄泉安希望槟州房屋部严谨看待上述问题，以防止有人滥用获分配中廉价屋的配额进行炒楼。他说，中廉价屋原本就是分配给有需要房屋的中下阶层民众购买，他不希望看到有人轻易获分配到购买单位后，转一手放盘就轻易赚取暴利，导致房价间接被炒高。针对黄汉伟回应指中廉价屋需过了5年期限才可自由买卖，他希望当局需严谨把关，以确保这项条令能发挥权效。他也促当局在分配中廉价房屋配额方面，需谨慎把关，避免有产业者，有漏洞获得配额。- 光华

Foresight in resolving social and community problems crucial for the local authorities

LOOKING around our housing estates, work and recreation spaces, I believe many of us must have a wish list of things for a better living, work/study and recreational environment.

Although headway has been made in the residential arena with more practical and creative designs and concepts (depending on who the developers are), more value-adding initiatives are still needed in our work place and recreational facilities.

Im sure many of us have noticed there are quite a number of office buildings in some zones of Kuala Lumpur that are built up to the maximum plot ratio and are too close to the pedestrian walkways and roads. A high percentage of the built-up space has been sold which explain why the buildings dont have enough parking spaces for the office workers and visitors.

There have been quite a number of cases when open parks and fields have been turned over for development purposes; a move that usually invite protests from the local residents.

Allowing such building designs will further exacerbate the severe parking space shortage in the city.

During the construction of these buildings, the presence of the many tractors, cranes and fork lifts so close to the roads pose a threat to pedestrians and other road users. To prevent any untoward incident, the local authorities should ensure that all new buildings maintain a safe distance from the walkways and roads.

Given their role as the governing authority for land matters and project plans, local authorities that include district and municipal councils, play a highly crucial role in determining the well-being of the local communities and in how the areas that come under their administration fare.

Despite being one of the non glamourous public bodies with their placing in the lower rank of the public administration order, the local authorities are actually important institutions at the local level and the guardian of public property and facilities.

Among their traditional duties are the provision and upkeep of public health and sanitation, general maintenance functions of infrastructure and public facilities, as well as overseeing all land and development matters.

Thats why grouses over clogged drains, poor garbage management, potholes and floods, to town planning matters, environmental protection, building control, and issuance of certificate of fitness for occupation, come under their purview.

Being the authority that is closest to the people, their performance has a direct and immediate impact on the peoples daily lives. Their efficiency or inefficiency in discharging duties will affect the public and rate payers in many ways.

That could explain why the local councils are the recipients of a fair number of letters to the editors to newspapers.

With the many developments going on around us and an expanding population, there is a need for the local authorities to be more proactive and act as the catalyst of change and progress in their areas.

They should not just uphold their traditional roles but be effective thinkers and implementors of plans for social and economic development in their areas.

They must act fast and efficiently at all times, and must also have the foresight and initiative to undertake preventive measures to resolve some of the lingering social and community problems in the long run.

There have been quite a number of cases when open parks and fields have been turned over for development purposes; a move that usually invite protests from the local residents.

Instead of signing over public parks, lakes and open spaces for development purposes, the local authorities should act as the guardian of these public spaces and wherever possible undertake enhancement efforts to further add value to these facilities.

Local authorities should also promote best industry practices in building designs and development planning practices for more environmental friendly designs and healthier living environment.

To prevent over building and congestion, plot ratio of building projects should be strictly adhered to. This is so that the infrastructure, utilities and amenities are not strained.

Our local authorities can take a leaf from their counterparts in the more developed countries such as South Korea and Japan with well structured and transparent practices in building matters.

Over there, fair trade practices are standard operating procedures for all industry players where even the sale of property has to abide by the balloting process; and strict building design guidelines have to be followed even on matters concerning the amount of lighting to a building and natural ventilation. - The Star

Deputy news editor Angie Ng hopes shopping complex owners will set aside space for a library and garden which although non-revenue generating, will be much appreciated.

onditions that can derail growth in the property sector

IN my last article, I touched on two reports that offered a very positive outlook for the property market in Malaysia and its neighbours in this region.

According to the Malaysian Property Market Report 2011, the property sector recorded a significant growth in the five preceding years, and the value of property transacted and the number of transactions also rose substantially in 2011, compared with the previous year.

And according to the Asia Property Market Sentiment Report 2012, Malaysians were generally quite positive about the property market, with more than half expressing a desire to acquire new property in the next six to 12 months.

Sadly, these upbeat sentiments could all change as a result of recent events and some prevailing conditions if they are allowed to continue unabated.

The most recent is, of course, the Bersih 3.0 rally and the ensuing violence that have certainly raised a lot of concerns, at the very least, about conditions in this country.

It may still be too soon to realise the full impact of the April 28 event. Nevertheless, the experience of our northern neighbour should give us some invaluable lessons on how a prolonged open show of dissent and how the authorities deal with such incidents can have an adverse impact.

The Red Shirts and Yellow Shirts rallies that brought Bangkok to a standstill for months in 2010 and which eventually caused the downfall of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, should offer some invaluable insights.

Of course we have to concede that the Bersih 3.0 rally was on a much smaller scale, and it lasted only for a day, so the effects would be dramatically different.

But incidents such as Bersih and the Anti-Lynas protest also bring to light how people power causes can sometimes be hijacked and be diverted from the real issue.

In the property sector, for instance, it is not uncommon to see groups banding together to object to one thing or another in an upcoming project even if all conditions are met.

Things are aggravated further by a lack of clear-cut guidelines on what is and is not allowed in a project. When guidelines are not clear, city or local council officials are inclined to make decisions based on political expediency. In such instances, investors or developers usually end up with the short end of the stick.

Then there is the personal safety issue. A day before Bersih, 12-year-old schoolboy Nayati Shamelin Moodliar was abducted while he was walking to school from his home in Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur.

Thankfully, the boy was released unharmed just over a week later upon payment of a ransom. All the same, the incident has certainly raised concerns about the level of security in the Mont Kiara area.

Indeed, the police may tout facts and figures on how much the crime index has dropped over the years, and how safe the streets are now. But the reality is that parents are still worried and anxious about letting their children out of the house, and out of sight.

Another urban centre where personal security is an issue is Johor Baru. We may not like it that the Singaporeans complaint about rampant carjacking when they visit Johor, but we cannot deny that these things happen.

Apart from these, we are constantly being tested by natural disasters that rock this region. While Malaysia is not located in the Ring of Fire, the 2004 tsunami and occasional tremors only show that we are not exactly a safe distance from a major disaster.

Then, there are the man-made calamities floods and landslides caused by irresponsible and uncontrolled interference in the natural landscape.

What, you may wonder, do all these have to do with property' Put simply, disturbances of any kind public show of dissent, criminal activities or natural disasters are not good for the economy and, by extension, for the property market.

As mentioned earlier, we have done fairly well over the past few years. The economy has been growing at a steady pace, and property was selling well.

Many homebuyers have seen their investments record substantial increases in value in the secondary market, and are still looking forward to bigger gains.

However, this feel-good factor can very easily be reversed by any number of developments groups taking the law into their own hands, street crimes, another big natural disaster or worse a man-made calamity.

How well are we dealing with all these conditions' Are the authorities making the right moves' Do we continue to pander to the loudest voice, never mind what is right or wrong'

Value, location and design are no longer the only considerations when we look for a new home to buy. The security situation has also become a prime consideration.

We also now have to check if our new home is located in a flood-prone area, or if we are likely to feel an earth tremor.

The property sector is already facing so many challenges.

Recently, Bank Negara introduced stricter lending guidelines that substantially reduced the quantum of loan an individual could qualify for. That essentially means that fewer people will be able to get loans and among those who still qualify, the amount they can get will be much lower.

The impact will be significant and it may take some time before the market adjusts to the new lending regiment.

At the same time, costs to the developer continue to rise. Land prices, particularly in urban areas, are going up. The cost of building materials have been increasing over the past few years and is expected to rise further. The cost of labour has also risen.

Anymore uncertainty in the political front, or concerns about personal safety, will only make things worse. We cannot afford to continue on this road. - The Star

● Teh Lip Kim is the MD of SDB Properties Sdn Bhd, a lifestyle property company. Bouquets and brickbats are welcomed. Send by e-mail tomd@sdb.com.my.

GUH keen on non-core ops

RIDING on a strong net cash of RM142.56mil, Penang-based mainboard printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturer GUH Holdings Bhdhas initiated a business action plan that will enable its non-electronic business divisions to contribute more substantially to the groups revenue over the next five years.

Although principally a PCB maker, the group, in 2004, entered into the property development business in Negri Sembilan, ventured into the oil palm business in 2006, and the water treatment business last year.

H’ng: ‘We are expanding our oil pa lm estate.’

The rationale for positioning GUH in these areas was to reduce its dependency on PCBs, a volatile business, which generates about 90% of the groups revenue to 70%. Property, water treatment and oil palm businesses are the areas with potential to achieve the objective.

According to McIlvaine Company, an Illinois-based market research company, this years market for water treatment and consumables in China is estimated at over US$25bil.

Group managing director Kenneth Hng says in an interview with StarBizWeek that to boost the contribution of the property division, GUH plans to launch projects worth RM700mil in gross development value (GDV) on a 150-acre in Taman Bukit Kepayang in Negri Sembilan over the next five to six years.

The properties planned for Taman Bukit Kepayang include gated and guarded projects comprising two to three-storey bungalows, semi-detached and terrace houses to be launched in various phases, and three-storey shop lots.

This year, the group is launching 40 semi-detached houses with a RM28mil in GDV in Taman Bukit Kepayang.

Hng says the group expects to see the property division contributing 15% to the groups 2012 annual revenue.

Revenue contribution from the property segment to GUHs annual revenue has increased from 6% in 2010 to 10% in 2011.

White goods: A worker in GUH’s plant Suzhou, China. The group is increasing monthly production of double-sided and mu lti-layered PCB components.

GUH has completed about 375 units of landed residential houses and commercial shop lots with GDV of RM200mil in Taman Kepayang since 2004.

We are looking for opportunity to create a strong brand name for higher-end properties in prime areas especially in the Klang Valley and Penang. The search is on now for land in the identified areas, he says.

Over the next five years, GUH will focus on landed, high rise residential and landed commercial developments, for example shop-lots, Hng says. We are pursuing all kinds of expansion, including joint-venture projects with land owners, buying land or companies with land.

On the water treatment business, the group is now carrying out a feasibility study via its subsidiary GUH International (HK) Pte Ltd on a project in Jiangsu.

Last year we entered into a preliminary agreement with the Gaochun Economic Development Zone in Jiangsu to undertake the construction of a 100 million litres per day (MLD) water treatment plant on a build-operate-transfer basis.

The investment in the project is estimated at 180 million yuan, which includes distribution networks to be implemented in two phases of equal capacity, Hng said.

A Forbes magazine report released in April says that from 2011 to 2015, China will spend US$536bil on water purification and waste water treatment plants, irrigation systems, and flood control projects.

Currently, only 50% of urban sewage is treated. By 2015, the government intends to add 42 million tonnes of daily sewage treatment capacity to increase its urban waste water treatment rate to 85%, the report says.

GUH is completing in June 2012 its takeover of a 70% stake inTeknoserv Engineering Sdn Bhd, a company specialising in the design and building of water treatment plants for municipal water supply and sewage treatment works, which will enable the group to look for more lucrative water treatment business deals in China and Asean.

On GUHs oil palm business, the group is now entering the second phase of its oil palm business in Kedah. We are expanding our oil palm estate in Sungai Petani, to 10,000 acres, after which, we can consider moving into the production of palm oil and palm kernel oil.

In 2006, we started by converting a 385-acre in Sungai Petani for the cultivation of oil palm trees. Over the years, we believe we have acquired sufficient knowledge and expertise as an operator of an oil palm estate to expand the business further, he says.

On its PCB business, GUH is tapping into the market of new power-saving household appliances and also the light-emitting diode (LED) lighting segment with their double-sided and multi-layered PCB products.

The group is investing RM18mil this year to produce the double-sided and multi-layered PCBs.

We are increasing the monthly production of double-sided and multi-layered PCBs to 70,000 sq m this year at our plants in Penang and Suzhou, compared with 55,000 sq m per month a year earlier, Hng says.

The new double-sided and multi-layered PCB range will serve the branded white-goods segment such as air-conditioners, refrigerators, and washers, and also the LED commercial lighting market.

We are seeing orders from customers in Asia-Pacific coming now for the second and third quarters, Hng says adding that GUH was beefing up its white-goods segment due to slower growth in the LCD/LED TV market.

In the first quarter, we expect slower sales for the PCB business, due to slower sales of LCD/LED-backlit TV worldwide, Hng says.

GUHs high-end PCBs generate about 40% of the groups revenue. - The Star

S P Setia purchases land in Penang for RM186m

KUALA LUMPUR (May 16): S P Setia Bhd's wholly-owned subsidiary, Intra Hillside Sdn Bhd, has entered into a sale and purchase agreement with Penang Realty Sdn Bhd for the proposed purchase of 21.31 acres (8.5ha) of freehold land on Penang Island for RM185.65 million or RM200 per sq ft.

Intra Hillside said it plans to carry out the development of terraced houses and condominiums with a gross development value of RM1.1 billion.

The tract is less than 10 minutes' drive from the international beach resorts along Jalan Batu Ferringhi and 15 minutes' drive from George Town. - The Edge Property

槟二桥预计明年9月通车 房产界忧变大停车场

槟岛西南区17日讯）槟城第二大桥预计在2013年9月通车，但槟州房地产发展商会（REHDA）担忧，要是衔接第二大桥峇都茅交通枢纽没能同步提升，二桥通车后车辆严重堵塞在衔接处，届时二桥将沦为“大型停车场”。
槟州房地产发展商会主席拿督陈福星表示，政府务必提升二桥衔接峇都茅一带交通系统，否则二桥建得多好，也是徒劳的，因为交通使用者都不想要取道这样塞车的二桥。他是陪同槟州行政议员林峰成巡视二桥最新进展后，向负责该处交通的公共工程局官员，提出上述问题。公共工程局道路组副主任哈山回应说，该部已经在积极寻找交通咨询顾问，并计划在今年8月开始招标，并在10月开始动工提升二桥峇都茅交通枢纽。
政府5亿拨款无进展
槟州行政议员林峰成透露，中央政府在2010年第10大马计划下，已批准5亿令吉作为疏通衔接第二大桥的峇都茅及峇都加湾交通，但迄今仍无进展。他说，尤其衔接二桥的敦林苍祐大道（峇六拜工业区路段），目前仅有4条车道，大桥通车后，可能会造成交通阻塞。“中央政府在提升二桥峇都茅衔接处道路系统上是慢了一些，峇都加湾方面则没有问题。”
他说，根据了解，目前公共工程局才开始寻找交通咨询顾问以拟定及提升该处的交通系统。他指出，工程局有两项建议，首个建议是在敦林苍祐大道进行再填海，加宽目前仅有的4条车道，同时大道也将撤除所有红绿灯，让交通顺畅。“至于第二建议则是在衔接处兴建高架公路，直接通往皇后湾，这个高架公路也不会设立红绿灯。”此外，他说，衔接二桥也将会有两条出口，一条直接通往皇后湾，一条直接从峇都茅通往峇东后前往公巴。无论如何，他表示，根据预测，二桥通车后，仅是会疏通一桥30%的交通流量，而且峇都加湾工业区仍未建成，预计使用二桥车辆并不会太多。- 光华

Tweak prior cooling measures before imposing new ones — Colin Tan

MAY 18 — Those who were uncertain over whether the robust home sales by developers in Singapore chalked up in recent months can be sustained have been left with no doubt following Tuesday’s release of April’s sales figures.

In all, a total of 2,487 new private homes — excluding executive condominiums (ECs) — were sold last month. This is a near 4 per cent jump from March and is the highest monthly level since 2,772 units were sold in July 2009.

Initially, the doubters attributed the good performance to a few select projects with well-conceived developmental themes. However, the market has proven almost every property expert wrong. It had been all doom and gloom in the weeks following December’s cooling measures.

Today, the elevated monthly sales are being described by some as the new norm, although there is nothing normal as these robust numbers have been achieved on historically low borrowing rates.

Others are even suggesting that the volume of Singapore government land sales may need to be reviewed and revised upwards if the current pace of sales is sustained. It was also not so long ago — slightly over a year — that the Real Estate Developers’ Association of Singapore (REDAS) suggested that the supply of state land be reduced as there were hints then that the market might be oversupplied.

This got me thinking: If so many of our private sector property experts got it so wrong, what of our counterparts in the public sector, especially those involved in advising the government on the five sets of cooling measures introduced so far?

Could they have similarly misread and misunderstood the factors driving the private housing market? And if they did, surely it would be in the interest of the long-term stability of the private housing market that they review some the earlier cooling measures implemented, especially those that have not quite met their objectives.

At the moment, as I see it, some of the measures — especially those relating to stamp duties — are akin to slowly putting the private housing market into a straitjacket. In the near future, the market may find it hard to go forward or move backwards, to go up or to come down.

Already, we can see the distortions in the market created by some of these cooling measures. In general, all segments of the housing market should behave in the same way, in terms of price trends or volume of sales. After all, they all provide the same service — accommodation — and are substitutes.

Today, we see the volume of resale transactions shrinking while new sales boom. Prices of suburban homes move in opposite direction to those in the central areas. This is simply not normal. 

And new apartment sizes are getting smaller and smaller. Shoebox units of 50 sq m or less bear the brunt of criticism but how many of us are aware that half of all new apartment sales today are for those below 75 sq m? And if more small units are being built, does it not mean that the supply of large or normal-sized apartments have been interrupted.

They have been lots of hints that the next set of cooling measures may target the shoebox unit. 

But before we introduce another set of cooling measures, we should fine tune some of the earlier ones. As I see it, both the sellers’ and buyers’ stamp duty measures have more or less the same impact on the market. With the introduction of the additional buyers’ stamp duty, surely there can a case for the sellers’ stamp duty measure to be made less punitive.

If we keep adding on to the cooling measures — and my feeling is that there will be more to come as we have not quite addressed the liquidity problem — without a review of the earlier ones, there will come a time when the market will be caught in some kind of gridlock. - The Malaysian Insider

* Colin Tan is head of research and consultancy at Chesterton Suntec International.

S P Setia replenishing landbank in Penang

S P Setia Bhd (May 16, RM3.70)
Upgrade to buy at RM3.71 with target price of RM4.21: S P Setia has proposed to acquire a 8.6ha piece of freehold land  on the northeast side of Penang Island. The purchase price is RM185.6 million or about RM200 per sq ft. The pricing of the land is slightly lower than the land cost of two other S P Setia projects in Penang, Brook Residences (RM250 psf) and Setia V Residences (RM237.8 psf). However, Brook Residences is located in the prime residential area of Jesselton Road, while Setia V Residences is a seafront project off Jalan Kelawi, near Gurney Drive. Compared with a few recent major land deals in Penang, the valuation for the land appears to be reasonable.

International beach resorts along Jalan Batu Feringghi are less than 10 minutes away, while George Town is approximately 15 minutes drive. The land is a portion of a 9.6ha tract of first grade land. The remaining portion of about 1ha will be retained by the vendor as it has been sold to various purchasers. We are not concerned with the part of the land sold to third parties as the portion accounts for only a small fraction of the piece of land. We reckon the approval process for the land could be swifter as first grade land is a special title in Penang which does not carry a specific category of land use and does not need to be converted for housing development.

The tract has an undulating landscape, natural waterfall and meandering river, which is ideal for S P Setia's eco-themed development. The land is in close proximity to well-known tourist spots, including Batu Feringghi, Gurney Drive and the Penang forest reserve, which will be a major attraction. S P Setia had planned for a mixed residential development comprising terraced houses and condominiums with total gross development value (GDV) of RM1.1 billion. Apart from targeting Penangites overseas, retirees and Malaysia My Second Home participants, S P Setia will market the development through its representative offices in Singapore, Indonesia, China and Australia.

S P Setia has carved a niche in the Penang property market. From FY08 to FY11, projects in Penang contributed 7% to 9% to total group property sales. The remaining GDV for S P Setia projects in Penang is about RM1 billion and could diminish after some launches in FY12. The new acquisition will replenish its landbank as well as expand its presence in northeastern Penang. — MIDF Research, May 16

Lighting firm to invest RM117m in its Penang expansion plan

A LEADING automotive lighting manufacturer Malaysian Auto-motive Lighting (MAL) Sdn Bhd has signed an RM117mil agreement with the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) to expand its operations in Penang.

The agreement will see PDC funding a 26,632sq m manufacturing plant in the Batu Kawan Industrial Park, which will be leased back to MAL for a period of 20 years.

Chief Minister and PDC chairman Lim Guan Eng said the new factory was scheduled for completion in January next year.

“MAL’s investment in Penang over the past three years amounted to about RM81mil and the company is expecting to invest an additional RM117mil for the next four years.

“This new investment will increase the current size of its workforce from 960 to 1,200 employees, opening up employment opportunities for the local job sector,” Lim said during the signing ceremony in Komtar on Tuesday.

Lim said Daya CMT Sdn Bhd was chosen by MAL as the turnkey contractor to build the new factory and construction begun two months ago on the 5.7ha plot of land.

He said: “The activity at this facility involves the manufacturing of head lamps, rear lamps, fog lamps and other automotive accessories for the domestic and international market. When the building is completed, PDC shall lease the land and building to MAL for a period of 20 years with an option to renew for another 10.”

MAL, which is part of German-based corporation Automotive Lighting, is currently located in Phase IV of the Free Industrial Zone in Bayan Lepas.

MAL managing director Mario Corsi, who inked the agreement on behalf of his company, said several locations had been considered for the expansion of the company.

“We searched among favourable locations including in Thailand, China and other states of Malaysia. In the end, we decided on Penang because we treasure the most important asset of a country — its people — and also because of the current and future infrastructure available in Batu Kawan,” he said. - The Star