GEORGE TOWN, May 2 — The Penang Island City Council (MBPP) is seeking feedback from residents of Miami Green condominium in Batu Ferringhi over their complaints and concerns about a proposed high-rise project on a hill slope behind their homes.

MBPP will set up a meeting with the project developer that will include their civil engineering and geotechnical teams plus the representatives of the joint management corporation of Miami Green this Friday.

The city council issued a statement today to stress that it is receptive to complaints residents may have about the project.

It also reiterated that a comprehensive geotechnical report on the proposed development was prepared by a geotechnical engineer and vetted by an independent checker in accordance with the Penang Safety Guidelines For Hill Site Developments 2012.

A committee on developments on high-risk lands also approved the geotechnical report on November 14, 2016 and the Department of Environment (DOE) approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report on September 29, 2016, it added.

"When processing the planning permission, a total of 18 technical departments were referred to and all the comments from these departments were taken into account before the planning permission was approved on November 26, 2016,” the city council said.

It said the footprint of the building structure for the project was located on a Class I and Class II hill slope gradient and below 76m.

The council’s statement was in response to protests raised by the residents due to concerns on safety.

The residents allege that the project was located on a steep hill slope behind their condominium and could pose danger to them.

Penang Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Teng Chang Yeow also questioned the state government for approving a high-rise project on a hill slope, which he claimed is on Class IV land.

Class IV refers to land with a gradient of 35 degrees and steeper.