Illegal renovations pose risk to George Town’s heritage listing, activist warns

 

The illegal renovations to the Fooi Chew association building (left) and the reconstruction of Wisma Kastam have caused alarm among Penang’s heritage activists.

GEORGE TOWN: An activist and a tourist guides’ association have warned that illegal renovations to heritage buildings and the proposed construction of a five-storey structure near an old market may see George Town lose its prized heritage status, impacting tourist arrivals.

FMT reported recently that illegal renovations have been made to the 200-year-old Fooi Chew association building along Prangin Lane.

The reconstruction of Wisma Kastam near the Campbell Street market has also met with opposition from heritage activists.

Mark Lay of George Town Heritage Action (GTHA) warned that these projects may violate preservation guidelines and trigger the city’s delisting should Unesco intervene on the back of complaints from heritage groups.

The five-storey building project, in particular, has been lambasted by heritage activists, as it was the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) that applied for and approved the project.

In its planning application submitted in February 2022, MBPP proposed to “restore and retain” the front portion of the market.

Contacted by FMT, the council said it would await Unesco’s feedback before proceeding with the project.

Meanwhile, Clement Liang of the Penang Tourist Guides Association foresees that George Town might face a similar fate as Liverpool, which was delisted as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2021.

The delisting followed the Liverpool city council’s failure to heed warnings on illegal renovations and inappropriate projects being carried out on the fringe of its heritage site.

The UN heritage body said the city’s heritage values had been diminished by buildings erected at its waterfront, including Everton football club’s new £500 million stadium.

Lay said the heritage groups would be prepared to adhere to any decision Unesco may take on the MBPP building project.

Should Unesco decide that the project approval violated the spirit of George Town’s heritage listing, the city might find itself issued with a warning in the form of a “yellow card”, representing phase one of a potential delisting.

That would be embarrassing, Lay told FMT, but may be enough to put the state government on alert.

If the government then continues to merely pay lip service to its responsibilities despite the “yellow card”, Unesco may move George Town onto its “heritage site in danger” list.

“That (process) will take a year,” he said, adding that discussions between the state government and Unesco would then follow.

Continued defiance of Unesco’s decisions and rules on the matter may then see George Town and Melaka delisted, he warned.

Both George Town and Melaka were jointly listed in 2008.

However, Lay said any attempt to delist may take several years.

For its part, Penang would not want to suffer the adverse publicity and embarrassment of seeing its heritage sites on the “endangered list”, he said.

Be heritage watchdogs, Penangites told

Meanwhile, Liang called on Penangites to keep an eye out for illegal renovation works and other projects carried out on heritage buildings which may compromise the “outstanding universal values” which earned George Town its present status.

He also urged city officials to re-educate the public on the importance of preserving the heritage, and called on the state authorities to follow several other countries that impose heavy penalties on those who conduct illegal renovations.

Liang said it was important for the city to retain its Unesco heritage status as it is a badge of honour for Penangites and draws many local and foreign tourists.

“I see George Town as a goose that lays golden eggs,” he told FMT.

“We must keep the goose in good health so it continues to bring benefits and makes us proud to be custodians of a Unesco World Heritage Site.” - FMT