BY CAVINA LIM
GEORGE TOWN: A plot of land on Pulau Jerejak’s eastern side is for sale by expression of interest, “but don’t ever dream of converting it for commercial or recreational purpose,” said Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.
“This is a clear warning to those who wish to bid for the land. We will not approve it for any purpose other than as a shipyard. We will not entertain requests to convert the land for commercial or recreational use,” he said.
Visible to motorists crossing the Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah Bridge, the 10.7ha land belongs to Boustead Penang Shipyard Berhad, a subsidiary under the Boustead Group, a Malaysian conglomerate dealing in large-scale industries.
According to an information memorandum prepared by WTW Real Estate Sdn Bhd, the land is cut into three lots. Two lots are on a 99-year leasehold expiring in Jan, 2072, and one on a 60-year leasehold expiring in November 2073.
The information memorandum also states that “the entirety of Pulau Jerejak has yet to be included within” the Penang Planning and Development Control Policy Plan.
Lim said the expression of interest to sell “has nothing to do with the state government.”
WTW Real Estate published an advertisement on it in a Chinese daily on June 1, specifying that bidding ends at noon on July 6.
This is the second piece of land in Pulau Jerejak that may see future development.
Last November, Penang Development Corporation sold off its 49% share in a company that owns 32ha on that island for RM156mil.
This land, on the northern and western side of the island, is now slotted for a RM2.4bil mixed development project comprising 1,200 units of residential development, a marina, two hotels, a theme park, an 11.5km round-island cycling track and related infrastructure to promote tourism in the state.
After the development plans were publicised, many local activists raised conservation concerns and Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin urged the state government “not to turn Pulau Jerejak into another Sentosa Island (in Singapore).”
This largely forested island covers 362ha and is just minutes by boat from Penang island.
