PETALING JAYA: The Finance Ministry, concerned about soaring home prices, has sought the help of the National House Buyers Association (HBA) to find solutions to the problem. Responding to the request early this month, the HBA has proposed 10 measures to address the problem and, hopefully, bring prices down. HBA secretary-general ... Read More

GEORGE TOWN: Development on hills above 76m, whether approved or unapproved, will be referred to the state planning committee, chaired by Lim Guan Eng. The Chief Minister said these projects, including those approved as “special projects” by the previous administration, should be referred to the committee, which comprises several state ... Read More

GEORGE TOWN: Lim Guan Eng has defended the Penang Government's stand in treating hillslope development, saying that it has the “most stringent” guidelines for it. The Penang Chief Minister said the present state government had not approved a single project above 250 feet (76m) high, adding that it was the ... Read More

GEORGE TOWN: The scarcity of land on Penang island and its lure as a tourist destination and a second home for foreign retirees have caused residential property prices to soar by more than 25% over the past five years. According to real estate valuers, the prices are among the highest ... Read More

GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) approved applications for hillslope developments on 38 lots on the island in the last two years, MPPP president Patahiyah Ismail said. She added that applications on 17 lots were rejected during the same period. Patahiyah refused to disclose where the developments were located, as some ... Read More

GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Municipal Council should revise its guidelines on hillslope development and land usage, said Tanjung Bungah residents association member Datuk Dr Leong Yueh Kwong. This was in view of the many landslides on the island lately, he said. “Until the guidelines are revised, there should be a temporary ... Read More

GEORGE TOWN: As developers get ready to erect more high-rise buildings on the hillslopes of Penang island, more people have come out to protest against what they see as the destruction of the environment. At least nine projects are believed to be in the pipeline in Tanjung Bunga and Batu ... Read More

GEORGE TOWN: Some 60 villagers of Kampung Pokok Assam in Jelutong protested against an ongoing development project which they claimed was damaging the road and causing flash floods. Jelutong Timur Residents' action committee chairman Zarus Yusof, who led the group of villagers, claimed the housing project had caused the 3.2ha land ... Read More

GEORGE TOWN: Hillslope development in Penang will only be approved if the land is less than 76m high. However, State Local Government and Traffic Management Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said developers who had obtained planning permission from the Seberang Prai Municipal Council and Penang Municipal Council prior to 2007 were exempted ... Read More

THE Bukit D.O. Recreation Park, off Jalan Sri Bukit in Bukit Mertajam, Penang, will be given a RM2mil facelift under a landscaping project initiated by the Seberang Prai Municipal Council (MPSP). MPSP president Maimunah Mohd Sharif said the Penang Water Supply Corporation Sdn Bhd (PBAPP) would sponsor the upgrading works, ... Read More