No local plan means uncurbed development in Penang, says pressure group

Agatha Foo.

PETALING JAYA: A pressure group claims the Penang government has failed to gazette a plan detailing development for the island which would cap the number of residential units allowed on any given plot of land.

Agatha Foo, a steering committee member of Penang Forum, said this meant that the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) had a free hand in increasing residential density.

Residential density refers to the number of houses or buildings meant for residential homes in every hectare of land.

Speaking to FMT on the sidelines of a local council election forum organised by residents coalition MyPJ, Foo cited the previous Penang Island Local Plan which stipulated a density of 30 units per acre for George Town and 15 units per acre for Tanjung Bungah.

“Now, the density in some areas has gone up to 128 units per acre,” she said.

A new draft plan was debated and approved by MBPP in 2007, when Penang was still under Gerakan, which was part of Barisan Nasional at the time.

Foo said after DAP took over the state, MBPP approved the draft plan again.

“But the state government didn’t proceed to gazette it,” she added.

According to her, the official response is that the plan is still being studied.

“The state government also said they wanted to complete the special area plans first for designated places such as the George Town World Heritage Site and Penang Hill,” she said.

Currently, she added, the delay is being attributed to a review of the 2020 Penang Structure Plan (PSP).

A structure plan is part of federal law which requires all states to lay out their spatial plans for the next decade. Typically, local plans are developed for municipalities or city council areas only after a structure plan has been gazetted.

In Penang, there is supposed to be a local plan for the island and another for Seberang Perai.

The state government has drafted a PSP for 2030, as 2020 is only a year away.

The new PSP is expected to be released by mid-year, with state housing committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo saying it will be checked by an evaluation committee after receiving input from various individuals and NGOs.

It will then be up to the state executive council to decide on gazetting the plan.

Foo also attributed Penang’s massive development plans to what she called an over-optimistic projection of the state’s population, with the Penang government estimating “at least” 2.3 million people by 2030.

She said this was not in line with data from the national statistics department, which only projected a rise to 1.98 million people by 2030.

Nonetheless, she said, the state government appeared to be preparing to meet the demands of a big population.

She gave the example of the RM46 billion Penang Transport Master Plan, which she called “overkill” and “financially unviable”.

“There is also an overhang of high-end property,” she said. “In 2018, there were 3,260 unsold units.”

Under the draft PSP 2030, she said, about 7,700 acres of land will be reclaimed, including through the creation of three islands, but only 20% of residential units built will be affordable homes.

“This raises the question of who will buy the remaining 80% when there is already a property overhang,” she added.

Foo urged the Penang government to engage with civil societies and residents associations on issues concerning the state, particularly policies and plans for development.

“We can’t undo what has been done, but we can prevent further deterioration,” she said.

The last gazetted PSP was in 2007. It is still in use today as plans to introduce the PSP 2020 never took off. - FMT