GEORGE TOWN – Residents in Tg Bungah are up in arms over the development of a five-storey wellness centre, which they say should have been a public coastal park.
Tg Bungah Residents Association (TBRA) and others have also criticised the state government for having a penchant for commercialisation and high-rise projects while ignoring environmental warnings that could be detrimental to Penang’s future.
Association chairman Zulfikar Abdul Aziz said the residents have repeatedly demanded that the “sore thumb” wellness centre development be turned into a public park, with promises being made by former chief minister Lim Guan Eng in the run-up of the 2018 election.
“Why is the state government allowing developers to destroy our environment? TBRA is once again demanding that the state government fulfil its promise, and turn the space into a public park,” he said in a statement.
Meanwhile, residents of nearby One Tanjong and The Cove condominiums alleged that the state government made a deal with the developer, who currently holds the lease of Lot 4658, to change the land use status to commercial.
According to One Tanjong residents, during a private meeting with Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow and Tg Bungah assemblyman Zairil Khir Johari early last year, it was said the government would give permission for building the wellness centre in exchange for developer funding the construction costs of the park.
One Tanjong representatives offered to crowdfund to build the park so there was no need for the developer to get involved.
Zairil, who is also state Infrastructure and Transport executive councillor, reportedly said Penang intended to gazette the reclaimed plot as a “green lung” contrary to claims by the association.
“The illegally reclaimed land does not belong to any private party. It’s state land and the government plans to gazette it as a green lung.
“The developer had been required to build a public park before being allowed to proceed with the project.”
He added that the wellness centre was on private land. – The Vibes, April 30, 2023
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