Wednesday 14 December 2011

Action against developer, landowner

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 2011

Action against MAH SING

ACTION AGAINST BUILDER

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GEORGE TOWN (Jan 2, 2011): A developer that demolished an old building here without prior approval from the authorities has had its planning permission application for a new high-rise apartments project on the same site frozen.

The Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) has decided that the application from Klassik Tropika Development Sdn Bhd will not be processed, as the allegedly illegal demolition of the bungalow at 20 Pykett Avenue on July 26 has been taken to the courts.

State Local Government Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said the MPPP initiated legal action against Klassik Tropika, as the current registered landowner, in October last year.

He said it is an offence to demolish a building without approval, under the Town and Country Planning Act 1976. The case is expected to be heard on Jan 17.

"The MPPP is serious that developers cannot take action on their accord without approval," Chow said during a visit to the site recently.

He  revealed that Klassik Tropika, a subsidiary of Mah Sing Group Bhd, had submitted a proposal to the MPPP on Oct 6 for an apartment complex comprising a five-storey podium and four towers,
The towers are planned to be between 21 and 27 storeys high, he said.

The bungalow that stood on the site belonged to Khaw Bian Cheng Sdn Bhd, which was historically related to Khaw Sim Bee, the 19th century magnate who became a governor of Phuket.
The bungalow, however, was not officially listed as a heritage building by the MPPP.

Khaw Bian Cheng Sdn Bhd had on March 30 last year applied to MPPP to demolish the structure, but on July 26 a letter was sent to MPPP to retract the demolition application as the ownership had been transferred to Klassik Tropika.

The application was at that time still being processed by the council, Chow explained.

However, Klassik Tropika, the new owner, went ahead and demolished the bungalow on July 26 without approval, he said. -- theSun

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