BY DATUK STEWART LABROOY
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” ― Winston S. Churchill
THE journey along the Karak Highway is a visually exciting one. Rarely can one be confronted by a vista of towering mountains and lush forests just minutes out of Kuala Lumpur while navigating one of our twistiest highways ever built. The Karak Highway is a marvel of engineering, which took decades to complete, but resolved the dangers faced by motorists as they journeyed from Kuala Lumpur to Kuantan and beyond.
The Karak Highway.
Eastern promise
When one talks about KL East, one has to look beyond Gombak and Ampang as those areas are technically still Kuala Lumpur. Let us instead explore the route the Karak Highway takes and examine what lies beyond the Titiwangsa mountain range that nestles next to the eastern boundary of Kuala Lumpur.
Yes, what I am referring to are the towns of Bentong and Karak, that lie about 60km or an hour by car from Kuala Lumpur. At present, the traffic along this highway is light by KL standards, unless we are referring to the weekend crowds making their way to Genting Highlands for a flutter at the gaming tables or to relax and have a respite from the heat at the Bukit Tinggi Resort.
From a real estate perspective, what lies beyond that exit to Genting Highlands is about as different to Greater KL as it gets. It reminds one of the Klang Valley 40 years ago as you travel through towns where time has all but stood still. These properties are renowned for their durian orchards and eco resorts and where the air is unpolluted and the water from the rivers and streams remain crystal-clear. As options in Greater Kuala Lumpur run thin, developers could well be looking to this eastern corridor to be the “next big thing”.
Bentong durian orchard.
So what developments should one be looking at when examining the potential of these areas? In my view, it does require some in-depth research, as the impact of large township developments could totally destroy the ecosystem that makes it so unique. Neither will the integrated lifestyle developments of highly dense condominiums work as those require better public transport systems with access to the city centre and I don’t see an MRT coming over (or through) the mountains anytime soon.
So the mountains seem to be a barrier to a development. Or are they?
Bentong town centre.
Some ideas
I recently visited a friend at the Selesa Hillhomes and Golf Resort at the foothills of Genting and was surprised at how quickly I got there. After all it is a scant 43km from KLCC. If there ever was a case for a development in the area it would be for high-end bungalows or developments catering for aged care and retirement homes – a market segment that is growing exponentially.
Selesa Hillhomes Golf Resort.
Pressing further east, the District of Bentong and the town of Karak beckon, which could lead to possible township developments with an eco theme that could offer some respite to the hustle and bustle of living in KL. After all, it is 63km from KLCC and about the same distance from KLCC to Seremban. Bringing development to the area would also create new jobs and industries to support it.
We are not short of architects who can develop such sustainable projects. However, developers have to look at changing their mindset from a density model to a sustainable one. Hopefully, the land is still affordable and the only drawback I can see is that the only mode of transport would have to be by bus or car as options for connectivity by rail is non-existent. However, when you consider that people are flocking to buy properties in Seremban or Rawang and beyond and still work in KL, it begs the question – does a mountain range and 30 to 45-minute commute sound that negative? In fact, one could make a case for affordable homes in KL East and presume that the journey would be any less painful if they lived in Seremban or Rawang.
Genting Highlands - A missed opportunity?
20th Century Fox World outdoor theme park.
The spur road that branches off the Karak Highway to Genting Highlands Resort is seeing a surge in interest as developers turn their attention to a location that lends itself to tourism- related developments. A recent announcement by the Genting Group that come 2016, Resorts World Genting will open its doors to the much anticipated 20th Century Fox World outdoor theme park, the first such facility to be developed by Genting, sparks interest. The theme park will feature characters, rides and activities centred around 20th Century Fox’s most popular and loved movies, from Epic and Rio to Planet of the Apes and Alien vs Predator.
In addition, Genting Simon Sdn Bhd (GSSB) is developing and operating the Genting Premium Outlets mall (GPO) on a 600,000 sq ft piece of land near the Awana Resort. GPO is projected to cost RM200mil and will be South East Asia’s first hilltop premium outlet centre and will serve the central Eastern Malaysian market. It will open its doors by end-2016.
The first development to capitalise on these new investments is the Ion D’Elemen, a six-
tower residential development that will house
Best Western's latest hotel. Also to benefit from this surge in investments will be Gohtong Jaya, which till today has not received much interest
as a township development. Sentiment could change quite rapidly next year once Genting's new attractions open their doors.
Genting Premium Outlet at Genting Highlands.
The ghost in the story
The Karak Highway is the central theme of this article as it is the main road that connects Kuala Lumpur to Genting Highlands and the east coast. It was built in 1970 and opened to the public in 1977 and finally upgraded to a six-lane highway in 1997. Till today it remains one of the creepiest highways in Malaysia with its dark, long, windy and accident-prone roads having attracted a host of ghost stories that sends shivers down the spine of motorists who drive by. One has just to google the term "Karak Highway" and you will be entertained with many stories of ghosts and ghouls sighted on the road.
To be fair, much of its reputation was a result of its early development when it was poorly lit and accidents were commonplace. Its safety record has improved considerably since becoming a full- fledged toll highway in 1997.
So despite the many ghost stories, the Eastern corridor from KL does hold real promise for a new area of visionary development in the coming years. It may turn out to be very different from the developments we are used to seeing today, but let’s hope that we will be pleasantly surprised when they do materialise.
