BUTTERWORTH: The Seberang Prai Municipal Council (MPSP) has been tasked with turning Batu Kawan in Central Seberang Prai into an Eco-town with high standards of sustainability.

State Local Government and Traffic Management Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said many green plots of land in Batu Kawan could be incorporated into the area’s development plans.

“Apart from physically greening Batu Kawan, it is also important to look at introducing sustainable green and eco-friendly practices in the area.

“We hope Batu Kawan can become a model for other townships to eventually adopt an Eco-town concept that promotes a healthy living environment,” he said after representing Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng in opening the Penang Green Industry Conference at Sunway Hotel Seberang Jaya here yesterday.

Chow said Eco-towns in England followed certain standards, such as possessing a minimum of 30 per cent affordable housing, a minimum of 40 per cent green space, high recycling rates and zero carbon emission.

He said development in Batu Kawan was expected to pick up upon the completion of the second Penang bridge linking Batu Maung on the island.

MPSP president Maimunah Mohd Sharif said since Batu Kawan was earmarked for mixed development, it was vital to ensure the township’s overall planning, including its building designs and layout, is eco- friendly.

Maimunah had initiated an Eco-town programme for the Bayan Baru new town and Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone in 2006 when she was with the Penang Municipal Council (MPPP).

“The green concept must be incorporated right from the drawing board to ensure the area’s industries, commercial and residential units complement one another in their green practices,” she said.

Source: The Star

RETIREE Frank Kwong, 83, is unable to stand too long or walk much but that did not deter him from visiting the Star Property Fair 2011 ? he turned up in a wheelchair even before the fair opened.

?I have been reading about the fair and did not want to miss it,? said Frank, adding that he wanted to be in the know about the latest developments in Penang.

His wife Molly Kwong, 80, said Frank was excited about the fair and could not wait to check out the latest projects and properties offered.

?Knowing that our daughter Cecilia is looking for a property in Penang, he told her about the fair and got her to bring us here,? said Molly.

Cecilia, 50, a customer sales representative in Connecticut in the United States, said she was looking for a condominium as a holiday home in Penang.

?I?m looking for a comfortable home with a good price. We read about the fair in The Star, and our friends recommended that we check it out,? she said.

She added that the currency exchange rate was also a good reason to invest in properties in Penang.

?Many foreigners are looking for properties here, especially those from colder countries who prefer a warmer climate,? she said.

Touted as Penang?s premier property expo, the Star Property Fair, in its ninth edition, is open daily from 10am to 10pm until Sunday. It is organised by The Star in collaboration with Henry Butcher Malaysia (Penang) Sdn Bhd.

The fair was opened by Star Publications (M) Bhd group managing director and chief executive officer Ho Kay Tat yesterday.

There are 36 exhibitors filling up the booths at Level 2 of G Hotel, and the ground floor of Gurney Plaza.

In the morning itself, there was already a large crowd despite an hour-long rain in the morning.

Among the visitors who braved the rain were businesswoman Kelly Neoh, 34, with her mother Teh Poh Kim, 61, and sister-in-law Khor Swee Ping, 31, who were looking for investment opportunities.

Neoh said she and Khor, a financial analyst, normally did their research on the companies and properties before checking them out.

?We then check out the booths and make inquiries as to the individual projects.

?Among the things we want to know are how many floors are there in the project, what is the car park like, the range of properties available, whether it is freehold or leasehold, is the project a good investment or a good place to live in, and can it sell within the next three years.

?We also want to know the built-up, how much is the downpayment, what is the base lending rate, what is the proximity among the units, and whether it meets our budget especially now with the 70% loan cap on third properties and above,? she said.

The women were spotted making inquiries at the IJM Land Bhd?s booth at Gurney Plaza, as they felt that IJM Land?s properties were usually snapped up even though they were normally leasehold.

?There?s something special about their design and the developer is established and well-known,? said Khor.

Besides IJM Land, other exhibitors include Ivory Properties Group, Belleview Group, DNP Land Sdn Bhd, Nusmetro Venture (Pg) Sdn Bhd, Sunway Grand Sdn Bhd, Mah Sing Group Bhd, MTT Properties and Development Sdn Bhd, Reka Indah Development (Pg) Sdn Bhd, Ideal Property Sdn Bhd, SP Setia and Boon Siew Group (BSG Property).

There are also Plenitude Heights Sdn Bhd, Triental Land Sdn Bhd, GD Development Sdn Bhd, Lone Pine Group of Companies, ResCom Asia Sdn Bhd, Capitawealth International Sdn Bhd, KPWG International Sdn Bhd, Tambun Indah Development Sdn Bhd, Bukit Kiara Properties Sdn Bhd, E&O Bhd and Jalin Realty.

Henry Butcher is also featuring projects by Magna Putih Sdn Bhd and several properties in Australia and England by various developers.

There is also an exhibition of restored heritage buildings carried out by George Town World Heritage Inc at the Salon I function room of G Hotel.

A popular feature of the fair is the series of talks related to property, investment, financing, law, heritage and feng shui. They are being held daily at the stage area at the new wing of Gurney Plaza and in Salon III and IV at G Hotel.

Retiree Christine Teng, 51, said she was accompanying her husband to attend the feng shui talks yesterday to get the opinion of the feng shui experts on real estate properties.

?It?s just for our own knowledge, we may learn something useful,? she said.

Visitors also stand a chance to win prizes totalling RM30,000 in the Surf, Click & Win contest sponsored by IJM Land. Ten prizes are up for grabs daily, including a 32? Samsung LCD television, Acer Iconia Tabs, Samsung Galaxy Tabs and Parkson vouchers. To participate, simply cut out the ?Surf, Click & Win? coupon in The Star which will appear in the newspaper until Sunday.

There will also be daily cut-out coupons in The Star until Sunday for redemption of a mystery gift each at The Star circulation booth on the ground floor of Gurney Plaza?s new wing on a first-come-first-served basis.

Hong Leong Bank Bhd is sponsoring RM5,000 worth of mystery gifts.

SOURCE: The Star

SHOPPING is made easier if you have many choices all in one place for ease of comparison and this is no different with house hunting.

?One of the best things about this property fair is that you get all the major developers under one roof,? said visitor Stella Goh in describing the Star Property Fair 2011 in Penang.

?I get to compare an array of new property launches, irresistible deals and great discounts,? she said.

Goh, 45, from Green Lane, was among the early birds at the four-day fair which opened at Gurney Plaza and G Hotel yesterday.

She was spotted browsing the real estate booths at Gurney Plaza minutes after the fair opened to the public at 10am.

Other early birds included retirees Michelle Ewe and Gwen Lim.

?We decided to come after reading about the fair in the newspapers.

?We are impressed by the layout of the exhibition which is both spacious and comfortable,? said the two friends who were looking at landed properties for investment.

Senior citizen Lew Yoon On, 71, and his wife Gooi Chai Meng, 68, also made it a point to be early.

?We want to look for a furnished condominium, such as IJM?s Pearl Regency, to stay because our semi-detached home on Lengkok Nunn, George Town, will soon be demolished to make way for three-storey bungalow lots.

?This is our sixth time visiting the Star Property Fair,? said Lew, adding that he found the information from the fair useful to make decisions on the property market.

Another early bird, who wished to be known as Kew, commented that prices of properties had increased notably as compared to last year.

?I normally make my purchases directly with developers but the fair gives me a good idea on opportunities available to investors,? said the 47-year-old factory manager whose previous investment included a landed property in Batu Maung some five years ago.

Early bird visitors also tried their luck in the ?Surf, Click & Win? contest sponsored by IJM Land, which offered RM30,000 worth of prizes.

Organised by Star Publications (M) Bhd in collaboration with Henry Butcher Malaysia Penang, the fair is open daily from 10am to 10pm at G Hotel and Gurney Plaza until Sunday. Admission is free.

SOURCE: The Star

THE Star Property Fair 2011 in Penang saw millions of ringgit in sales recorded within hours of its opening.

BSG Property sold two bungalows and a terrace house at its Permai Gardens project, a gated and guarded landed property in Tanjung Bungah, for about RM7.3mil.

Its sales and marketing executive Chong Hock Aun said all three units were sold by lunch time.

?It is certainly above expectation, considering that the opening day is a weekday,? he said, adding that all three buyers were locals.

IJM Land Bhd?s sophisticated and stylistic Pearl Regency project also received plenty of attention from visitors, with three units sold for a total of RM2.5mil by early afternoon.

Senior sales and marketing executive Moira Ong said they did not expect such strong sales on the opening day.

?The number of visitors who made enquiries was also fantastic,? she said.

Ong encouraged prospective buyers to act fast as the RM500 million gross development value (GDV) project had sold more than 80% of its 187 available units.

?Visitors also showed keen interest on premier developments which have yet to be launched such as The Address in Bukit Jambul and Permatang Sanctuary in Bukit Mertajam,? she said.

Henry Butcher Malaysia (Penang) Sdn Bhd sold at least 23 units of suites worth about RM17mil in Mansion One on Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah.

Its senior business development manager Angeline Woo attributed the success to the services offered at the condominium such as room service, housekeeping, concierge, limousine and travel desk as well as secretarial services.

?You don?t usually find these in normal condominiums,? she said.

There was strong foreign interest in properties developed by Ivory

Properties Group received enquiries from visitors from countries such as Taiwan, India and several Western countries.

Assistant manager (corporate property) Michael Wong described the crowd response as very encouraging.

?We did not expect the visitors to make buying decisions on day one as they would usually check out property offerings from as many property developers possible and make comparisons,? he said.

The premier property development group sold a condominium unit of its The Peak Residences at Mount Erskine while a visitor registered for its upcoming luxury high rise, The Latitude, expected to be launched end of this year.

Wong said he expected the number of visitors and sales to rise on the weekend.

SOURCE: The Star

THE lure of prizes such as Samsung 32-inch LCD TVs, Acer Iconia Tabs and Samsung Galaxy Tabs drew visitors to the counters for the ?Surf, Click & Win? contest at the Star Property Fair 2011.

Visitors headed to the counters on Level 2 of G Hotel and the new wing of Gurney Plaza, Penang, to participate in the contest.

To participate, visitors have to bring the cut-out of the contest coupon which is published in The Star until Sunday and answer three simple questions correctly after which they get to try their luck in a lucky dip.

If they draw the lucky draw cube, they are required to come back to Gurney Plaza at 8.30pm for another lucky dip where they are guaranteed a prize.

There are 10 prizes up for grabs daily until Sunday. They include Samsung 32-inch LCD TVs, Acer Iconia Tabs, Samsung Galaxy Tabs and RM200 cash vouchers.

The prizes over the four days, worth RM30,000, are sponsored by IJM Land.

Among the many visitors who took part in the contest yesterday was Harjit Kaur, 57, who was browsing for property at the fair.

?I am just looking around for a property and I stumbled upon the contest,? said Harjit Kaur.

Unfortunately for her, she did not draw the lucky draw cube but she was not about to give up just yet.

?My family members will be coming tomorrow (today) and hopefully we will have better luck then,? she said.

The contest also drew participation from exhibitors at the fair such as Danny Lim, who also did not manage to get the lucky draw cube in the dip.

Lim said it would be ideal for him to win a Samsung Galaxy Tab.

?Since I would be here for the whole pro-perty fair, I will continue to try my luck,? he said.

Apart from the contest, visitors can also claim a mystery gift from The Star circulation booth at the Gurney Plaza new wing by cutting out the gift coupon printed in The Star daily until Sunday.

The gift redemption, available daily till Sunday, is on a first-come-first-served basis while stocks last. Hong Leong Bank is sponsoring RM5,000 worth of mystery gifts.

This is the second year the bank is participating in the fair and it will promote its housing loans, credit cards and personal loans at its booth.

Visitors who bought The Star yesterday and on Wednesday also got to redeem a gift sponsored by IJM with the sticker attached to the front page of the newspaper on either day.

SOURCE: The Star