By Farah Wahida:
If the state government fails to address their concerns, a group of residents against a high-rise project in Penang will likely bring their concerns to court, according to media reports.
“I urge the council and caretaker state government to respond to us within five days, failing which, a judicial review would be sought,” said Rowena Yam, the group’s legal adviser and Pulau Tikus Barisan Nasional coordinator.
The 27-storey Moulmein Rise project is set to be built on a residential area in Lengkok Moulmein, Pulau Tikus, which the residents find unacceptable.
C.A Foo, a resident of 35 years within the area, noted that the council is “bulldozing its way through our objections.”
Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) President Datuk Patahiyah Ismail earlier said that the project would push through as MPP had made the necessary survey prior to approving it.
“More than 50 percent of the land there has been used for commercial purposes which is why we allowed the high-rise commercial development,” she explained.
She also refuted claims that they approved “it as a SoHo (small office, home office) development and hence the developer need not comply with open space and affordable housing requirements,” saying that these claims were “untrue”.
Meanwhile, Yam said that she could not secure a copy of the project’s approved building plan, since the billboard on the project site does not provide the plan’s approval number.
“In the name of competency, accountability and transparency (CAT), the information must be made public,” she added.
Farah Wahida, Editor of PropertyGuru, wrote this story. To contact her about this or other stories email farahwahida@propertyguru.com.my
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