Low-cost flats are being built to solve Balik Pulau’s squatter woes
GEORGETOWN: The largest parliamentary constituency on the island, which has its fair share of squatter issues, will be seeing new low-cost housing schemes coming up in the future.
State housing exco Wong Hon Wai said there were several low-cost projects in the pipeline for Balik Pulau.
He said a few developers had already approached the state government with their development proposals.
"Several developers have submitted their plans but we sent them back to the drawing board because they must solve the squatter issues in the areas they are developing to ensure no dislodgement.
"That is the condition set by the state... we want the developers to come up with better proposals to ensure that the squatter problems in their development sites are solved amicably," he said on Saturday.
Wong, however, did not reveal the exact number of low-cost housing projects Balik Pulau would be seeing or which developers would be involved.
There is a substantial number of squatter cases in the Balik Pulau parliamentary constituency that stretches from Teluk Bahang in the north to Bayan Lepas in the south.
The areas with squatter issues in Balik Pulau include Teluk Kumbar, Binjai, Kampung Perlis, Kongsi, Sungai Batu, Kuala Jalan Baru and Sungai Pinang.
The worst area is Binjai in Bayan Lepas, according to Jaafar Mahshar, assistant to Balik Pulau member of parliament Yusmadi Yusoff. There are 43 squatter families there.
Last month, Yusmadi told the press that modern high-end residential projects in Balik Pulau were threatening to destroy local villages and that properties were generally beyond the affordability of low- and middle earning locals from Balik Pulau.
Wong, during a visit to the newly-completed Desa Nipah low-cost flats off Jalan Sungai Nipah here, said the new units were a good example that the state was not only concerned with approving luxury housing projects in Balik Pulau.
"We are also working to ensure that there are low-cost housing available for the poor," he said.
The five-storey Desa Nipah flats by Belleview Group has 80 three-room units that measure 64 sq metres each.
The developer is expecting the occupancy certificate to be granted soon.
Wong said the units cost RM35,000 each and the government would be giving priority to Balik Pulau residents.
"The government's criteria for selection would also be based on the applicants' household income of below RM2,500," he said.
"But because Balik Pulau does not have many low-cost housing schemes like the other districts, we will also consider households with income slightly higher than RM2,500."
Wong added that the state would be working closely with Yusmadi and also Penang state legislative assembly speaker Datuk Abdul Halim Hussain in dealing with the squatter issue in Balik Pulau.
Meanwhile, Belleview managing director Datuk Sonny Ho, who was present, said building the Desa Nipah flats was part of the development firm's corporate social responsibility.
He said instead of following the state's requirement to build 46.5 sq metre units, Belleview went further to upgrade the units' size.
"We felt it was not right to cramp three rooms into a 46.5 sq metre unit so we took the liberty to build larger units to allow the future owners and their families to be more comfortable while sticking to the RM35,000 price.
"We also adopted a 'built-and-sell' approach with this project," he said.
Also present was Penang Island municipal councillor Gooi Seong Kin.
It was previously reported that about 15,000 people had registered for low- and medium-cost houses in Penang, and that developers here paid RM30,000 and RM40,000 in premium respectively to the state government for every low-cost and low-medium cost unit that was not built.
Read more: BETTER HOUSING http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/2tpc/Article
