Properties in gated and guarded communities increasingly popular

PROPERTY trends change with a community’s needs, expectations and the times.

Landed properties in a gated and guarded community, which are increasingly popular in larger cities, are catching up fast in smaller towns as well.

Perak is a good example.

Hua Yang Bhd has two such projects in the state — one in Bercham, Ipoh and one in Bandar Universiti in Seri Iskandar (Busi), about a 25-minute drive from Ipoh via the Ipoh-Lumut Highway.

Hua Yang Perak branch manager Tony Ng said there have been many enquiries and requests for landed properties in gated and guarded communities.

“Both projects are set for launch next year,” he said in an interview in Ipoh on Wednesday.

Huge spread: Ng explaining the company’s upcoming projects in Bandar Universiti, Seri Iskandar, Perak.

Ng said there would be 156 houses within the gated and guarded project located off the Bercham main road; comprising 134 units of clustered semi-detached houses, 18 link bungalows and four bungalows.

These freehold units are expected to be priced between RM500,000 and RM1.2mil, Ng said, adding that the project is located in a mature neighbourhood.

Its facilities would include 24-hour security surveillance, he added.

The houses, with an eco-friendly and contemporary tropical design also include a courtyard, Ng said.

Bercham, next to Ipoh Garden, is a thriving area, known for its wide variety of food all day long.

In fact, Bercham is very much alive with eateries and pubs doing a roaring business at night compared to the city centre, Ng said.

He said busloads of tourists from Singapore and China are often seen going to Bercham for food.

“It is a good place to do business, to work, live, entertain and relax,” he said of Bercham, a bustling neighbourhood that, sometimes, suffers from traffic congestion.

This, he added, would boost property development and the company’s up coming launch of the gated and guarded community is a step in the right direction.

“The prices may be more expensive compared to areas that are not gated or guarded, but the demand for this style of living is definitely there,” he added.

Over in Bandar Universiti, Ng said the Eco-Lake@Busi Homes is a prestigious gated and guarded community project with semi-detached houses and bungalows.

Targeted to be launched next year, the project comes with 24-hour security surveillance, he said, adding that house owners could enjoy the facilities at the Busi Homes Club House.

The project is located within the well-planned and developed 339ha Bandar Universiti.

In terms of ambience, it faces a 15ha lake, he said, adding that other details are being planned and would be revealed soon.

Ng said the customer profile in Bandar Universiti has also changed, with more people from cities coming in due to the rapid economic development in Manjung and also universities nearby.

As such there would be a demand for properties like the gated and guarded ones, he said.

Ng said they were able to include a gated and guarded project in Bandar Universiti because they have the land area to do the planning.

For instance, the fencing up of the project must not affect the road network in the area, he said.

Hua Yang, with more than three decades in property development, was founded by the late Ho Mok Heng who believed in the vital role of a family and home as a basic unit that leads to a strong community and nation.

Bandar Universiti alone is home for over 10,000 individuals and families.

Ng said the company started to develop Bandar Universiti in 2002, and had completed some 2,000 houses to date, covering 40% of the land area.

He said the remaining 60% of land with about 4,000 houses would be completed in about 10 years time.

Bandar Universiti is a self contained mini township.

Hua Yang also has projects in the Klang Valley, Negri Sembilan and Johor. - The Star

首长：多个地点中选出槟城 浮罗设全女性美国大学

（槟岛西南区1日讯）槟州首席部长林冠英透露，美国一所著名大学将在浮罗山背设立一所国际水准的全女性大学。他表示，首相拿督斯里纳吉已在上星期作出这项宣布，该大学是从多个国家的考量中选择大马，并在大马多个州属中选出槟城作为建设地点。据他了解，中央政府认同准备承担工程费用的10至15％。亦是民主行动党秘书长的他是于周四晚在民主行动党浮罗山背联委会党所开幕典礼上致词时，如是表示。
江先生捐近6千作党所基金
热心人士江先生也在会上捐献5999令吉99仙作为火箭党所的活动基金。林冠英指出，虽然浮罗的3个州议席是由巫统赢得，但民联从不忽略当地的发展，已经征用200英亩的地段在浮罗兴建卓越教育中心。此外，民联也已宣布将在西南区建设最少1000间平民屋，以照顾普罗大众。
挑战法力公布财产
他也在会上向浮罗勿洞议员莫哈末法力下战书“邀”对方一起公布财产。他质疑对方不敢公布是否因太富有的关系，要是到时由其他人来替他公布，他就会不好意思啦。他同时大肆抨击对方，指后者是沙文主义的议员。他自我调侃，说公布财产及财务状况就好像脱光光给人家看，人民可通过官方网站知道他和所有行政议员拥有多少间房子、车子及股票，以示民联政府是个廉洁的政府，为何国阵部长却做不到？他表示，浮罗的选票，对民联而言，一票也不能少，虽然该党在浮罗1国3州议席没竞选任何议席，但却会为成员党助选，确保民联在浮罗1国3州获胜，下次他再度莅临浮罗，希望是参与庆功宴。
曹观友：形成新格局
民主行动党槟州主席曹观友行政议员表示，该党在1986年大选后在浮罗成立第一个支部，党员只有区区30几人，党员虽有斗志，但因为当时的政治气候影响，没法扩大影响力。过去20多年来，一直处于弱势的局面，直到308全国大选，政治气候的转变，如今已拓展至6个支部逾1000名党员。他希望随着火箭浮罗党所的设立，能鼓励更多支持者加入该党，或是人民公正党及伊斯兰党，使民联拓展影响力，形成一股力量对槟州及我国政治带来新格局，因为只有中央执政权的易手，我国才会有希望. - 光华

Carnarvon Street — where change happens quietly

GEORGE TOWN, June 1 — Once when I mentioned Carnarvon Street to a now successful business owner, he looked at me with wonder and asked, “Why Carnarvon Street? There is nothing there.” Then he sighed and added, “When I was a child that road used to scare the shit out of me. There were funeral shops, dead people and dodgy people hanging out on the corners. In fact, I was beaten up by a gang of older kids when I was 10.”

But that was a long time ago. What does Carnarvon Street look like now? The number of funeral shops has dramatically decreased, but they are still here, and there are no dodgy people hanging out at street corners at night. Carnarvon Street has changed, together with many parts of Penang, into a much safer, more prosperous place. However, the street lacks the charm of Love Lane, the boutique chic of Armenian Street or the chaotic bustle of Gurney Drive. In fact, many taxi drivers in town don’t seem know where the road is.

Hardly glamorous, but rather dusty and concrete, there are no boutique hotels, and the shophouses have not been renovated for decades. The only tourists who pass by are the ones who lose their way. It seems that the street has been spared from the boutique chic craze and people move here from other places looking for cheaper rent.

But don’t be fooled by its sleepy appearance. There are plenty of interesting things going on, free from rampant tourism. This is George Town with no make- up. For example, it is home to one of the most famous restaurants in town as well as a well-known duck rice place, a busy morning market, bookshops, art material shops, graphic design offices and funeral shops where you can buy a paper Mercedes or Tiger beer for the dead.

Carnarvon Street has its fair share of heritage and also a twist of the multicultural and modern.

One of the highlights of Carnarvon Street is Ng, the stone carver and Chinese calligraphy artist — people come from as far as Singapore and Hong Kong to see him. Through long years of dedicated craftsmanship, Ng has become an icon of the living heritage and he is sometimes called “Heritage Uncle”. Most people come to see him out of nostalgia, because his trade is rare. I asked if there were many stone carvers in Penang before, Ng smiled and said that it was a dying trade in the 1960s and long before that. 

One of the reasons why he became a stone carver after returning from his art studies in Hong Kong was purely practical — at that time there wasn’t a single one in Penang and market demand for his skills was high.

Tek Sen is another highlight on Carnarvon Street and has been there forever (or 46 years to be exact). It all started with a mobile food stand where Tek Sen sold Teochew porridge with economy vegetables and meat to coolies who worked the docks, trishaw guys and Chinese construction workers. His son San Kien would help him and later take over the business. When the port declined, so did the number of coolies; and in the 1980s Tek Sen transformed and started selling more sophisticated dishes and seafood to reach to a wider clientele.

Last year, Tek Sen carried out its latest renovation, moving into a heritage shophouse after its mobile food stand was demolished by the local authority. The new place is big and airy, there are new fancy illustrated menus telling the history of the three-generation restaurant (the menus were designed by San Kien’s second son, so everything stays in the family). 

It is as busy as usual; people stand in a queue and sometimes even jostle to get a table. The secret? San Kien replied: “We do home-cooked local food which is not as fancy as in high-class restaurants, but we have a big choice of Nyonya, Hakka, Cantonese and Teochew dishes.”

While there is a fair share of heritage along the street, there is also a twist of the multicultural and modern. A recent addition to the slow and uninterrupted flow of life is a Taiwanese cake shop which makes the best cheese cake in town. The Taiwanese owner is a French-educated chef and somehow the Taiwanese and French blend well with the overall portrait of the street.

There may be better looking, more glamorous streets in George Town, but Carnarvon Street has the true quality of a hidden gem that will shine more and more as other places undergo uniform renovations and are polished to “perfection”.

* Gabija Grusaite works as a journalist, and also writes scripts for short movies and animations.

* This article was taken from the latest issue of Penang Monthly.

George Town a work in progress — Rosalind Chua

GEORGE TOWN, June 1 — A recent public forum on heritage brought together local and international experts and some important but all too familiar issues were raised. The big question remains: where is the George Town World Heritage Site headed?

“I received so many calls and texts asking me if I’m for development or whether we want to stunt growth,” said Suraya Ismail, the moderator of Think City’s public forum, “I think we’re going to have a full house.”

She was right.

“George Town after World Heritage Inscription: Are we on the Right Track?” packed together expatriate property owners, local authorities, business owners and heritage advocates among others, for a two-hour dialogue that promised a juicy Q&A session if my acquaintance was to be believed. “I know many working people who are very unhappy with the NGOs and how they keep saying we can’t knock this down, have to preserve everything. How are we going to progress if this is the case?” he stage-whispered.

Rather disappointingly the local and international panellists had all done their homework and were familiar with many of the specific issues faced by George Town, including, ongoing gentrification, increased tourism into the World Heritage Site (WHS) and the haphazard restoration of heritage buildings. The positive experiences of well managed international WHSs — including Quito and Lindos — were discussed, leading Suraya to observe that, “We need to be open and flexible when developing the George Town WHS and adapt (best practices) to our own circumstances.”

Creating a proper framework for built heritage conservation was discussed at some length, and Peter Romey from AusHeritage stressed that “government needs to set the example for private stakeholders to follow. Encouraging examples of good conservation is more effective than just setting guidelines.”

The state government’s commitment to the WHS led to its establishment of George Town World Heritage Incorporated (GTWHI), which is tasked with the management of the site. Lim Chooi Ping, the acting general manager of GTWHI who was sitting in the crowd, explained to the audience that GTWHI has no provision for enforcement and has to work together with the local authority (the Penang Island Municipal Council or MPPP) to manage the entire WHS. This is no small undertaking considering that George Town is a sprawling cosmopolitan city with a very diverse ethnic, religious and cultural mosaic, unlike a culturally homogenous, compact site like Lindos, that draws visitors to its acropolis.

The Q&A session threw up the twin challenges of non-compliance and lack of enforcement, as a number of homeowners and business owners shared their frustrations publicly (and later privately).

These individuals had tried to do the right thing i.e. follow procedures for renovations, obtain the correct business licenses, etc but were ultimately penalised by the system; while those who flouted laws and guidelines appeared to escape censure. Lisa Findley from the California College of the Arts observed that “if regulations are not applied uniformly, this eventually creates instability within the WHS.”

So, is George Town on the right track?

Heritage specialists believe that the UNESCO listing has bought the city more time and without it there would be little to stop developers from creating a little Singapore or Hong Kong; a scenario that a property appraiser actually spoke in favour of, citing both cities as examples of “progress”.

Between these two sentiments are the onion-layered aspirations of the city’s inhabitants who don’t own property or a business, as well as the individuals who want to invest or live in the city. Does everyone want the same future for George Town? From the small cross-section present at the forum it would appear not, and it would be simplistic to expect this.

Defining the future of the George Town WHS will always be a work-in-progress and one that goes beyond the city’s architecture, or else there is the risk of ending up with a heritage theme park, a beautiful façade frozen in time. The city’s true soul resides in its people, the hawkers, stone carvers, boutique hotel owners, beggars, designers, prostitutes, trishaw men, lawyers, each with their own delicate strand woven into George Town’s tangled web (neatly encapsulated in UNESCO’s three criteria for inscription).

It’s this ongoing ebb and flow of humanity, ideas and creative tensions that makes the city so maddening and so fascinating at the same time. In every nook and cranny, everything appears to work in its own mysterious, often unspoken way. Untangling the strands to create some sort of artificial orderliness could end up collapsing the entire fragile ecosystem. Like a spider’s web, George Town will continue to evolve, and hopefully it can do so in its own time.

Since 2008, George Town and Malacca have been jointly inscribed on The World Heritage List, managed by UNESCO’s World Heritage Center. These two historic cities of the Straits of Malacca were judged to have outstanding universal values (OUVs) by virtue of three criteria:

● As exceptional examples of multicultural trading towns permeated with many layers of history;

● As living testimony to the multicultural, tangible and intangible heritage and traditions of Asia (including their European colonial influences); and

● As historic cities that reflect a mixture of influences which, by virtue of their unique architecture, culture and townscape, are without parallel in East and South Asia.

* Rosalind Chua would love to live in George Town, but doesn’t like the idea of killing rats.

* This article was taken from the latest issue of Penang Monthly.

占滩取沙建人行道？ 郭庭恺促查新关仔角豪寓计划影响渔民作业

槟城31日讯）新关仔角某超级豪华公寓发展商被疑“占用”沙滩及“就地取材”，以该沙滩的沙建人行道？此外，也由于有关人行道的建立，造成该处渔民停泊的船只在海水涨潮时，“随波逐流”，撞击新建人行道的墙壁而损坏。该处渔民是要求发展商给予1万令吉的赔偿，以便在渔船损坏时可用于修理，不过发展商只愿赔偿每人1000令吉。
后花园便会“淹水”
而且，在涨潮时，海水也可淹上有关的人行道，以及也令人担心，有关超级豪华公寓后部的花园也会被波及，发生“淹水”的情况。据该处渔民的估计，大约还有2个星期的时间，有关超级豪华公寓的后花园便会发生“淹水”的情况。也因此，玻璃池滑区州议员郭庭恺将致函槟州首席部长林冠英，地方政府委员会主席曹观友，槟岛市政局水利及海滩事务部门及州秘书署，以调查有关发展商是否遵守条例，即在槟城，任何海边的发展计划，都必须与海岸线保持至少20米的距离。他透露，在全国其它各州，海边发展计划都必须遵守与海岸线保持200米的距离，但在槟城，则只需20米的距离。
发展禁影响原有环境
他强调，不论20米或200米，最重要的是，所有的发展计划都不能影响原有的环境，这包括使到渔民的船只不能停泊。他说，这是因为在目前，在涨潮时，海水将会把渔民的船只“冲”向海岸，而由于有关人行道的建立，造成船只因“撞击”该人行道的墙壁后损坏。
他继透露，此外，发展商也受疑“就地取材”，以沙滩的沙建人行道，以及即使发展商没有如此做，于2周前，在涨潮时，海水也已“淹”上该人行道，所以该人行道或许也需重建或增高。他指出，也因此，或许有关当局也必须重新测量有关超级豪华公寓建立的地点，与海岸线保持20米的距离，这包括该公寓的后花园或需重建。他是于周五在一项新闻发布会上，向媒体如此透露。-

CAP: Have Tenancy Act to protect landlords and tenants

GEORGE TOWN: The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) is urging the Federal Government to come up with a Tenancy Act (TA) to protect both landlords and tenants.

CAP is also urging for a tribunal to be set up under the TA to settle disputes between both parties.

Its president S.M. Mohamed Idris said having a TA would help solve the many problems facing the tenancy-landlord relationship.

“The terms and conditions should be fair to both parties and made available to the public.

“Besides that, the Rent Tribunal is important as it will serve as a cheap and fast way to resolve tenancy disputes.

Mohamed Idris said the tribunal’s decision should be legally binding so it would also have the power to penalise landlords and tenants who had disregard the tribunal’s order.

“Issues that can be handled by the tribunal should include disputes over early termination of tenancy, getting an Order to remove a tenant, getting an Order to compel the landlord to repair the rented unit and monetary compensation for tenancy related issues,” he added.

Mohamed Idris said that the TA and Rent Tribunal would benefit both tenants and landlords as it would provide protection and at the same time remove uncertainties in tenancies.

“The TA should also cover the tenancies for small businesses as they too are often in a weak bargaining position when negotiating with the landlords,” he told reporters during a press conference at the CAP office in Jalan Mesjid Negeri yesterday.

“The Government should also fix the rental and adjusting it according to the country’s inflation.”

Mohamed Idris added that in some countries such as Australia and New Zealand they have a basic law governing and regulating tenancies. - The Star

Dental faculty, clinic to be set up at old council HQ

THE Seberang Prai Municipal Council (MPSP) former headquarters in Butterworth town, which has been lying idle for the last six years, will soon have a new lease of life.

Allianze University College of Medical Sciences (AUCMS) will soon operate a dental faculty and dental clinic at the 43-year-old building located in Jalan Datuk Haji Ahmad Said.

AUCMS president Prof Datuk Dr Zainuddin Wazir said AUCMS had signed a 10-year contract to rent the MPSP former headquarters as well as four other buildings within its compound.

“We will spend between RM10mil to RM15mil to renovate all five buildings over the next few months.

“We hope to begin operations at the dental faculty by October,” he said in an interview yesterday.

Prof Dr Zainuddin said AUCMS was still awaiting the Education Ministry’s final approval for the dental faculty’s layout plan, syllabus as well as student intake.

He said he had applied for 100 dental chairs at the dental clinic, which would be run by the faculty’s lecturers and open to the public.

He said there would also be provision for hostel facilities for students, a canteen and an administrative office at the dental faculty.

“We chose the MPSP former headquarters and its four neighbouring buildings because of its ideal location in the heart of Butterworth town as well as its suitability, in terms of size,” he said.

MPSP president Maimunah Mohd Sharif said AUCMS’ rental of all the five buildings would generate a revenue of RM45,000 to the council every month.

She said the MPSP Butterworth branch office, which presently occupies one of the buildings there, would be shifted to the council hawker centre in Jalan Kampung Jawa, Taman Selat, next to the MPSP municipal court building.

“Part of the hawker centre will be turned into payment counters to facilitate the payment of assessment, business licences, dog licences, hawker stall rental and other bills.

“There will also be a clinic to facilitate inoculation for food handlers there,” she said, adding that the hawkers there hoped to receive more patrons when the counters start operations on July 2. - The Star

Mah scouting for additional land with potential GDV of RM1.4bil

KUALA LUMPUR: Mah Sing Group Bhd is aiming to acquire additional land with a potential gross development value (GDV) of RM1.4bil this year.

“We have acquired land with GDV of RM3.63bil so far this year, which is about 73% of our target of RM5bil. We have seven months to go, and we definitely have to lock in more land to fuel our long-term growth,” said group managing director and chief executive officer Tan Sri Leong Hoy Kum on the sidelines of the Invest Malaysia 2012 conference.

This year, Mah Sing has acquired land for projects consisting of M Residence 2 in Rawang, Sutera Avenue in Kota Kinabalu, and Southville City which is a planned 412-acre township in Bandar Baru Bangi.

Leong pointed out that Mah Sing currently has 39 residential, commercial and industrial projects across Greater Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Penang and Sabah, with remaining GDV and unbilled sales of RM18.2bil.

The group's executive director Steven Ng Poh Seng said 70% of the remaining GDV would be from projects in the Klang Valley.

Ng also pointed out that the group has unbilled sales of RM2.48bil as of March 31.

“In acquiring more land, we also make sure we juggle our cash flow well and that the group's net gearing does not exceed our internal target of 0.5 times,” said Ng.

Ng said the group's net gearing was still manageable even after the recent RM333.26mil acquisition of 412 acres targeted for a mixed township near Bangi, Selangor.

“We have four to five months to pay for the land. Then we have about RM300mil cash coming in (from delivery of vacant possession of property units). Our gearing is always very manageable because of our quick turnaround business model.” Presently, the group has a land bank of 1,538 acres.

“Even now, we have enough land (to develop) for the next seven to eight years,” said Leong.

As at May 15, the group has achieved property sales of slightly above RM1bil, which is 40% of its 2012 sales target of RM2.5bil.

The bulk of sales were in the Klang Valley (82%), followed by Johor Baru (10%) and the balance from Penang.

Leong said he was “selectively optimistic” regarding the property market this year.

“We need to fit supply to demand. For example, we focus more on mass market products priced below RM1mil such as small serviced residences or link homes,” said Leong.

He also said the group was exploring potential opportunities in the region. - The Star

Unhappy over compensation

GEORGE TOWN: Residents of an estate in Mount Erskine are not satisfied with the compensation offered by a housing developer that bought the land there. It is learnt that the developer had issued a letter of eviction to the residents last month.

Residents association chairman Teh Kim Long, 74, claimed that the compensation of between RM30,000 and RM60,000 offered to the residents, was less than half of the current property value.

“Residents were given the option to accept the money or get a flat with a built-up area of 55.7sq m (600sq ft),” he said, claiming that 62 residents were affected by the development.

Teh claimed the residents wanted to pay the quit rent to the developer but the latter did not want to receive the payment.

“It is stated behind our quit rent receipt that if the quit rent is not paid in six months, the residents would lose their right to voice out their concern and cannot object to any changes conducted by the land owner,” he claimed during a press conference at Pulau Tikus assemblyman Koay Teng Hai’s service centre in Jalan Peirce yesterday.

Teh said that the residents were confused as they are unsure as to who they should pay their quit rent.

“We have engaged a lawyer to collect our quit rent and seek his service to hand over the quit rent to the developer.

“Several residents have paid their quit rent to the previous land owner as they fear they might lose their right,” he said.

Koay said according to the land office, the ownership of the land was transferred to the developer on Jan 5.

“I have also called the developer to convey the wishes of the residents last month,” Koay said.

When contacted, the developer refused to comment on the matter. - The Star

CM rapped over hillside development

GEORGE TOWN: An MCA state leader has criticised Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng over the latter’s statement that more stop-work orders have been issued against hillside development by the current state government.

State MCA Wanita chairman Tan Cheng Liang (pic) said Lim, who is also the DAP secretary-general, had “conveniently avoided” revealing the increase in number of protests in the state since 2008.

“He boasts about more stop-work orders being issued now compared to when Barisan Nasional was helming the state government.

“However, he failed to reveal that there have been more protests by Penangites against hillside development since Pakatan Rakyat took over.

“The latest is the chorus of dissatisfaction by residents of Mount Pleasure in Batu Ferringhi, objecting against approval accorded by the Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) for the construction of 21 four-storey villas and 80 two-storey bungalows there,” she said.

She said the 2008 DAP general election manifesto unveiled by Lim promised to “preserve our forest, wetlands and bio-diversity” while Pakatan Rakyat’s common policy framework stressed that the “environment must be preserved for the sustainability of future generations.”

“Just six weeks ago, Lim said in a speech that the Pakatan government was proud of its record of not approving any hillside development.

“However, the voices of disapproval by Penangites are evidence that Lim, the DAP and Pakatan are deceptive,” she claimed.

Citing examples, she said on April 8 this year, Sungai Ara residents protested against approval issued by MPPP Planning Department for two hillside development projects and in February 2009, Tanjung Bungah residents protested and submitted a memorandum calling on the state government to ban all current and future Class III and Class IV hillslope development projects.

“In view of these protests and to deliver the DAP and Pakatan’s pledge to protect the environment, I challenge Lim and the state government to issue a stop-work orders against all hillside development projects approved by MPPP,” she said in a press release yesterday.

Tan also took a swipe at Lim for focusing on luxury residences but allegedly had no regard for the poor.

“Approvals are given for exclusive housing and condominium projects on hills, but scant attention is given to low-cost housing for the poor where no low or medium cost units were constructed between 2008 to 2011,” she claimed.

On Tuesday, Lim said more stop-work orders had been issued by both local councils since 2008 compared to previously.

He said this proved that the state government was “more stringent in upholding the rule of law, demanding strict compliance with technical requirements and more unforgiving than Barisan.” - The Star