Group calls for Penang Turf Club sale to be put off pending local plan ratification

DEVELOPMENTS on Penang island must be put on hold pending ratification of the local plan, said Penang Forum.

Penang Forum executive member Khoo Salma Nasution was commenting on reports that the Penang Turf Club land could be sold and converted for commercial or residential use..

Khoo said with many infrastructure projects under way that are linked to the reclamation of Silicon Island, and a light rail transit system and three bypass highways on the way, there is growing concern that the island does not have the capacity to hold more development projects.

She said all proposed projects must be postponed pending the completion of a master plan for Penang, which the Penang Island City Council is preparing after an earlier draft was rejected on grounds it was not comprehensive.

"The proposed sale of the turf club on Jalan Lumba Kuda may be appetising to developers and tycoons here but there is a due process to be observed.

"We have a local plan to illustrate proper planning and it is not ready. So how can any project be allowed to go on now? Let us be fair to all stakeholders," said Khoo.

Khoo said there are no stops planned for the public transport network where the turf club is located.

"So what would happen if the place is totally developed and the density increases? How can the area accommodate development of a commercial/residential scale?"

Penang Forum is a coalition of progressive public-interest civil society groups based in the northern state.

Penang island is the only highly urbanised city in Malaysia without a sanctioned local plan..

It was reported that the iconic 160-year-old turf club – the oldest of three horse-racing clubs in Malaysia and Singapore – is looking to sell its 81ha of land worth RM6 billion.

In 2007, an ambitious plan to build the Penang Global City Centre project on the site of the turf club was proposed but it was met with stiff resistance. Among its opponents was then-opposition party DAP.

Today, DAP is the dominant party in the unity state government.

Part of the racing club land was acquired by Berjaya Land Bhd, headed by tycoon Tan Sri Vincent Tan.

Land is scarce on the island. Future transport projects are designed to be elevated and this has raised concerns of soil erosion and landslides among Penang Forum members.

Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow had said that the state will observe strict guidelines when it develops the turf club.

"It is premature to say much for now. We will see what the club does."

The Singapore Turf Club has announced it will host its final race in October, bringing to a close its 180-year old racing history. It was established in 1842 as the Singapore Sporting Club.

This leaves only two turf clubs in the region – Perak Turf Club, founded in 1886, and the Selangor Turf Club, founded in 1896. – May 30, 2024.