FOLLOW ORDERS
2011/07/27
By Looi Sue-Chern
By Looi Sue-Chern
1 of 2
The site where the old double-storey bungalow was unlawfully demolished.
The matter, which caused a public outcry, especially among heritage conservationists, is still far from over.
Residents living in the Lebuhraya Pykett, Jalan Westlands and Jalan Khaw Sim Bee areas near the land, where the bungalow once stood, claim that the developer has submitted a new application to the local authority when it has yet to reconstruct the bungalow as instructed.
Lebuhraya Pykett resident Y.C. Lee, 48, said the residents in the area were recently notified of the developer's application made to the Penang Island Municipal Council's (MPPP) one-stop-centre (OSC) for a planning approval for a multi-million ringgit high-rise residential project on Lot 951 at Lebuhraya Pykett.
This application, he said, was submitted last month even though the developer had not complied with an order by the MPPP to rebuild the bungalow, which was unlawfully demolished in July last year.
The order from the MPPP came in February, a month after the developer was fined a mere RM6,000 by a magistrate's court for tearing down the structure without a permit.
State Local Government and Traffic Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow was quoted in February as saying that the MPPP had also applied to the court to have the fine increased.
With the latest development, the residents wanted to know what had happened to the rebuilding order, said Lee.
"We would like to know if the developer can do this? Can they submit a new application for their project when they are under the council's order to rebuild the bungalow?
"Can the MPPP also process the application since the developer had not even worked on the order?" he said yesterday, adding that 30 objections from residents in the area had been submitted to the council over the developer's latest application.
The developer submitted an application in October last year to build an apartment complex.
Lee said although the old bungalow was not listed by the authorities as a heritage structure, efforts should still be undertaken to protect old buildings, since the state, businesses and people were benefiting from the Unesco World Heritage Site listing for George Town.
He said with the Pykett incident as a precedent, he feared other old structures that were not listed as heritage buildings would be torn down to make way for development.
"There is a beautiful orange bungalow in Jalan Burmah opposite SMK Convent Pulau Tikus, which might suffer the same fate if another developer gets its permit," he added.
When contacted, Chow said a meeting with the residents would be held to address their questions and objections.
Read more: FOLLOW ORDERS http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/2ayh/Article#ixzz1TMcTVooD
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