Penang’s state authorities are offering for sale a 12-hectare land in Ampang Jajar in Butterworth to religious institutions, but this would be hard to sell due to the horrible stench of the nearby sewage ponds, reported the New Straits Times.
According to Kai Gaik Lee, a 36-year-old resident of the People’s Housing Project (PPR) in the area, she had heard that the land had been previously offered to property developers.
“I do not blame the developers for rejecting this land because the stench is unbearable, so it would be hard to get buyers.”
Aside from that, the land is also close to a storage area for solid waste, noted P. Bala, 50, another PPR resident who owns a sundry shop within the low-cost housing development.
“The land is virtually valueless because no developer wants to buy the land because it would be hard to get buyers.”
“Luxury or high-rise condominiums and triple-storey houses in this area will not fetch a good price. For example, the two-and-a-half storey housing here is only going for RM400,000 and it is mostly occupied by foreign workers,” he shared, adding that the residential properties in the vicinity only cater to low-income earners and foreign workers.
Last week, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng announced that the 12-hectare land in Ampang Jajar is up for sale to religious institutions to set-up places of worship.
In particular, 32 land parcels measuring from 6,000 sq ft to 0.4ha will be available on 99-year leases for a special price, to be determined by the Finance Ministry’s Valuation and Property Services Department.
After news broke out that the land is near a sewage pond, state Public Works, Utilities and Public Transportation Committee Chairman Lim Hock Seng insisted that the property is far from it.
He also said there are about 500 parking lots and another 30.5-metre area separating the sewage plant and the land.
Image sourced from The Star
Diane Foo Eu Lynn, Senior Content Specialist at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact her about this or other stories email diane@propertyguru.com.my
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