GEORGE TOWN, Aug 2 — An abandoned building in the middle of the light industrial area of Sungai Pinang on Gurdwara Road has been given a new lease on life after it was revived into a high tech park complete with high-speed Internet facilities.
The project, formerly known as the Adorna Diamond Complex, was abandoned for more than 15 years when the developer went into liquidation but is finally revived, refurbished and renamed the “Hexagon Tech Park”, thanks to liquidator Ferrier Hodgson MH Sdn Bhd and local contractor D’Bright Bina Sdn Bhd.
Purchasers of the 161 units within the complex are glad that they will finally be able to reap the fruits of their investments made way back in 1995.
The purchasers committee chairman Simon Cheng said he is glad that finally he will be able to get some returns from his initial RM200,000 investment into a unit of 1,023 sq ft commercial space within the building.
“This has been a long wait as the developer went into liquidation when the building was 95 per cent completed and then the building was abandoned since 1998,” he said.
He had initially bought a unit to set up his own furniture manufacturing industry but after so many years, now all he wants is to lease it out.
“I am nearing retirement and I am slowing down my business so I think it is better that I lease it out to get some returns from it,” he said.
Today, Ferrier Hodgson held a signing of memorandum of understanding (MOU) ceremony with TIMEdotcom Bhd where the latter will provide fibre optic internet facilities for the whole 13-storey building.
Ferrier Hodgson partner Andrew Heng said a total RM19.8 million was invested to rehabilitate the building by appointed contractor D’Bright Bina.
The building is in its final stages of completion and it is expected to obtain an occupation certificate (OC) by early October.
Many of the lot purchasers, like Cheng, have been servicing the loans they took to purchase the lots in the building.
“There are about 70 of us as some have bought many units and some even bought up a whole floor so this is a huge relief for us that we can finally do something with our investments,” he said.
Earlier, Sungai Pinang state assemblywoman Lim Siew Khim, who witnessed the signing of the MOU, said the completion of the abandoned building will spur new economic activities in that area.
“This is a light industry area so this building is perfect to provide the space for high tech companies and light industry to open and conduct their business here,” she said.
The building’s appointed property manager and exclusive leasing agent, Raine & Horne senior partner Michael Geh said the building is expected to attract light, non-polluting and low vibration industries such as small furniture manufacturers, high tech firms, research and development companies, software designers and professional firms.
“This building is fully equipped with high end CCTV for enhanced security and it is also open 24 hours a day which is perfect for companies that operate in shifts,” he said.
