The Penang Development Corporation (PDC) has sold all the one- to two-acre bungalow lots within the first phase of its SME Village in Batu Kawan, and nearly all the landed properties within the second phase.
Notably, PDC aims to complete the development of the 60ha SME Village by 2019.
Suitable for building detached factories, the bungalow lots were sold for about RM40 per sq ft.
“For the second phase, comprising 40 terraced and four semi-detached light industrial units, we have sold 40 units of the properties, priced from RM800,000 onwards,” said Special Advisor to Penang Chief Minister and investPenang director Datuk Seri Lee Kah Choon.
Lee noted that the second phase will be ready by end-2016, while the third phase, comprising service centre, is expected to be ready by 2017.
“We will look at the demand for industrial properties next year, so that we can plan for light industrial properties most suitable for the fourth and fifth phases of the SME Village,” he said.
“The automation cluster could be in the fifth phase.”
Commenting on future investments to Penang, Lee revealed that there are three big medical device firms from Europe and the US which are interested to set up manufacturing operations within Penang.
“Negotiations are underway. We expect to see some results next year,” added Lee.
It was recently reported that consumer healthcare manufacturer Johnson & Johnson and medical devices maker Lake Region Medical Inc are in talks with Seagate Technology for the acquisition of the latter’s land in Batu Kawan.
However, discussions between the companies are still in the preliminary stage.
Seagate, which bought the 16.4ha land in 2014, is closing down its Penang hard disk manufacturing operations by mid-2017.
Mangalesri Chandrasekaran, Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact her about this or other stories email mangales@propertyguru.com.my
