Halt megaproject approvals until Penang has local plan, says NGO
The local plan is a legally binding town planning blueprint that sets out what can or cannot be built in an area.
PETALING JAYA: The Penang government should halt approvals for megaprojects such as the Penang LRT and Penang Hill cable car projects until a proper local plan is in place, said an environmental group.
Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) president Meenakshi Raman said despite the Penang Island Structure Plan 2030 (SP) containing references to both projects, there were no details in terms of detailed zoning of areas – which would only be shown in a local plan.
The local plan is a legally binding town planning blueprint that sets out what can or cannot be built in an area.
Last year, Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow said he ordered the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) to rework the plan due to errors. He said the new plan would be ready in the next “one to two years”.
“Without a local plan – which requires transparency and the democratic participation of the public in the detailed planning – the state government and MBPP will be acting without any accountability,” said Meenakshi.
“This cannot be consistent with the planning process as envisaged by the Town and Country Planning Act.
“SAM urges the Penang state authorities to follow the law and halt further decision-making in relation to these megaprojects until a proper local plan is in place, so that development planning is done properly and with proper accountability and transparency.”
She noted that the Federal Court had chided authorities last year for not drawing up a local plan despite the Penang Structure Plan 2020 being gazetted in June 2007.
Meenakshi said in the case of Sunrise Condominium vs Sunway City, the Federal Court said Section 12 of the Town and Country Planning Act stated that work on a local plan ought to commence soon after a structure plan for the state came into effect.
She said the Federal Court also stressed that public participation in the land planning process was another fundamental aspect of the Town and Country Planning Act.
“This element is an integral part of the democratic process which enables the public to require accountability in relation to development in and around where they live … which requires public participation in the drawing up of both structure plans and local plans.”
Construction of the RM245 million Penang Hill cable car project is set to begin this month. In February, Penang Hill Corporation general manager Cheok Lay Leng told FMT the environmental impact assessment approval for the 2.9km line was obtained in January, and that the project would take about 18 months to complete.
It was previously reported that a large multi-storey car park would be built on the grounds of the Botanic Gardens, connecting it to the cable car station. From there, the gondolas will serve 1,000 people at any one time, travelling at a speed of 6m per second and operating at about 700m above sea level to the Penang Hill station
Meanwhile, the Penang LRT line is expected to be completed by 2030, with work expected to start as early as September by SRS Consortium, a Gamuda Bhd company that will undertake the first segment of the rail line from Komtar to Silicon Island.
The whole project, led by MRT Corp, is divided into three segments, with the remaining two contracts – comprising a line from Komtar to Penang Sentral (Butterworth) as well as the turnkey systems and rolling stocks – to be offered on an open tender basis.
The Penang LRT Mutiara Line, spanning 29km, will have 20 stations, including two interchange stations at Komtar and Penang Sentral.
I am totally against these self-appointed opponents who want to keep Penang as a Bonsai museum.
ReplyDeleteI call them Luddites
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