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THE rare few lungs of Chinese settlements in Weld Quay, Penang is up for redevelopment as the state looks to develop the area into a modern waterfront under the stewardship of the Penang Development Corporation (PDC).
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow and state exco for housing and the environment, Datuk Seri S. Sundarajoo, presided over the preview of PDC's Request for Proposal (RFP) on 5.36 ha in Section 23 of the northeast district within the buffer zone of the George Town World Heritage Site, just off the Penang Port operating area.
To date, four applicants have purchased the RFP forms, and the deadline for submission is by the end of next month.
The majority of the site is state land, while 0.48ha belongs to PDC.
Chow said that the area, which was originally reclaimed, is strategically located along the traditional waterfront and fronts the Prai mainland with sound accessibility.
It is linked to the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway - the main road artery between the northern and southern parts of the island.
Value will further skyrocket once the proposed Mutiara Light Rail Transit project is completed soon.
Despite the constraints of developing within the guidelines of the Unesco heritage buffer zone, Chow is confident that the developers for the RFP would be innovative and motivated to offer a modern development facade to the area.
Personally, Chow hopes the new site can house the existing small enterprises in Weld Quay, from the motor workshops to craftsmanship stalls, as well as the street hawkers plying the neighbourhood, another of Penang's tourism attractions.
"We understand there would be height control, and we are confident that those keen on developing it can meet the conditions imposed by the local authorities."
Chow said that the area is now an eyesore as it has become a dumping site for construction waste, while it is also a squatter resettlement zone for families relocated out to make way for the George Town / Komtar commercial project 40 to 50 years ago.
Some 200 households listed as squatters would be relocated to the nearby Cecil Residency high-rise living project, so PDC does not expect it to be an issue.
In essence, Chow said that the redevelopment is about uplifting the living standards in Weld Quay, and the residents should support the initiative.
It will also mark another establishment of scenic waterfront stretches, which the state can now see mushrooming from George Town straight to the Penang International Airport, some 25km away.
Meanwhile, Sundarajoo said that the complaints lodged by the transit home residents at Taman Manggis in Jalan Zainal Abidin, George Town, were not right, as the state needs to allocate the transit units to eligible impoverished families.
"We cannot allow middle-class listed families to abuse transit homes, which were built for the poor. We need to be fair to all quarters," said Sundarajoo.
He said that he will meet the political party, Muda, which has taken up the issue, and posted on social media that some families will be issued eviction notices by the state housing agency to vacate the units by next month. - February 15, 2026.