AN expatriate couple won a temporary reprieve from the Penang Appeals Board Board after it ordered PDC Properties Sdn Bhd (PDC) to enforce a "limited pause" on construction for a luxurious condominium.
PDC is only allowed to commence works for dismantling the buildings on Service Road and Irrawaddy Road with a buffer distance of 50 feet from the heritage classified buildings at Chow Thye Road.
PDC is also prohibited from commencing other construction works such as piling, and relocation of the heritage buildings until the hearing of the final appeal by the couple is disposed.
The governing authority - MBPP is also ordered to supervise the dismantling works to be carried out by PDC.
"Should there be any indication that the dismantling works are likely to affect the nearby heritage buildings, MBPP must immediately issue a stop-work order to suspend all works on site," said the Chairman of the Appeal Board, Datuk J. Amardas
Cheong Yew Sheng from BC Teh & Yeoh Advocates and Solicitors, who represented the couple, said that at least, the couple was granted an order to pause the piling works and construction for the proposed condominium.
The limited order to prohibit PDC from commencement of piling works is important to maintain the status quo of the appeal.
The couple Brit Louise Goss-Custard and her German partner Thomas Arnold Schmidt purchased their "dream" home around 2008 and begun to make renovations to suit their needs.
Later, PDC proposed a posh condominium project near their home.
The project would see the demolition of former civil servants' quarters in the vicinity, which is located outside of the George Town World Heritage Site.
The couple continues to resist the pressure to allow for a high rise residential and commercial project in Chow Thye Road to commence, simply on grounds that the neighbourhood may be overwhelmed with congestion and over development.
Goss - Custard shared a text that the their cause was to help those affected by the PDC's decision, and it is not just them, who are aggrieved with the move.
Cheong said that the couple in their appeal, was seeking to nullify the approval for planning permission.
The affected area consists of old government quarters, which used to house senior civil officers serving the state.
The 1920s pre-war quarters will see more than half its numbers bulldozed and replaced by a 27-storey high rise residential and commercial project under PDC.
The couple hope there is media attention to the cause of conservation as Penang is acclaimed as a Unesco World Heritage Site where the call to protect heritage is a constant cry.
The enclave, which falls under Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow's Padang Kota state constituency, is however out of both the buffer and core heritage Unesco zones.
Located behind the Gleneagles Hospital in Penang, the neighbourhood is now home to a mixture of commercial ventures but mostly cafes and restaurants. - October 18, 2025.
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