Captan T Restaurant at Lembah Sireh near Tesco in Kota Baru. — Photos: SAZUKI EMBONG/TheStar
During the 1970s and 1980s, Lembah Sireh (or Betel Valley) situated by the banks of Sungai Kelantan in Kota Baru, Kelantan, was a thriving agriculture area with more than 500 farmers planting cash crops for the urban population.
But then it lost its lustre, resulting in many plots of land left idle in the 1990s.
In 2000, a local company had proposed to the Kelantan government for a reclamation project up to 5km of the river banks to turn it into a new township with mixed development of housing estates, hotel, shopping complexes and mini indoor stadiums.
Today, 15 years down the road, land prices in Lembah Sireh has soared to ridiculous heights.
It is now a place where urbanites flock to on weekends to shop or visit the pasar malam (night markets) and car boot sales where one can find a myriad of things from curios to trinkets as well as second-hand items.
One of the many food stalls which can be found in Lembah Sireh.
At night, the place comes to life as people flock to a floating restaurant that serves sumptuous food.
Diners have a beautiful view of Sungai Kelantan and the newly completed Sultan Yahya Petra 2 bridge.
The hustle and bustle of Lembah Sireh during the night is magnified with locals visiting the many food stalls in the town centre that serve Western and Asian cuisines.
The area became livelier after the local government relocated the terminal for long-haul express buses to this town.
Adjacent to the bus station is a shopping centre that is under construction and set to be the biggest mall in Kelantan.
It is expected to make Lembah Sireh a thriving place to live and work for many years to come.
The private company appointed to develop the area further is expected to complete the mixed development housing estates comprising 3,000 units by 2017.
The project is on a 202ha reclaimed land next to Sungai Kelantan and the Sultan Yahya Petra Bridge.
The long-term project, which involves four parcels of reclaimed land, is billed as a major project to change the landscape of the state capital.
There will be 2,400 shop-offices, a hotel, a hypermarket, a golf course, luxury apartments and residential houses.
The area now known as Kota Baru City Centre is set to be the new and organised township and an alternative to the congested Kota Baru town.
