GEORGE TOWN, Nov 21 — There will not be any mega development projects on Penang Hill, Penang Hill Corporation (PHC) clarified today after an outcry over the environmental impact of hotels proposed in the area.
PHC general manager Cheok Lay Leng said there will not be any clearing of the forest on the hill nor destruction to the natural environment of the hill in the proposed projects.
“There will not be any developments on the slopes for sure and we will not be clearing any existing forest to build hotels,” he said in an interview with Malay Mail.
He said PHC is fully committed to protecting the hill forest and its natural environment.
Cheok explained that a proposed 200-room hotel behind the Convalescent Bungalow on the hill was an old proposal.
“It was an old proposal. It was not a done deal. We will do a careful study and see what is appropriate before allowing any development on the hill,” he said.
He stressed that the hotel will most probably be a guesthouse for visitors to spend a night or two on the hill resort.
“It will not be a major fancy hotel involving massive development,” he said, responding to non-governmental organisation Penang Forum’s protest against the construction of the five-storey 200-room hotel announced by Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow earlier this month.
Cheok said PHC’s main focus was to refurbish and repurpose the Convalescent Bungalow.
As for the proposal for another hotel along the Coolie Line or Strawberry Valley, Cheok explained that this project involved refurbishing the existing 13 dilapidated buildings there.
“These buildings are in bad shape and an eyesore, so we are looking at refurbishing and repurposing these buildings,” Cheok said.
He said there are no developments in the valley and PHC has been carrying out continuous slope stabilisation works there since early 2018.
“We want to beautify the Coolie Line by refurbishing the existing buildings there and spruce up the paths so that people can enjoy them,” he said.
These old buildings were former workers’ quarters that can be turned into lodging and other facilities, he said.
Cheok said none of the buildings were built on slopes and PHC is already conducting a slope study in the area and taking appropriate action to ensure the safety of residents and visitors.
He said PHC is against opening up new paths or routes on the hill and had frequently advised hikers and other users not to create new paths up the hill.
“We are working hard to restore and rehabilitate the slopes affected by the storm in 2017 and we are committed to preserving Penang Hill’s natural environment,” he said.
On Penang Forum’s warning that the project might affect the hill’s natural environment and its Unesco Man and Biosphere Reserve status, Cheok reiterated that the proposed projects will not affect the hill’s natural environment as they are not clearing new areas to build it.
“It will not affect Penang Hill’s efforts to obtain a Unesco Man and Biosphere Reserve status as the principle of this status was to promote and demonstrate a balanced relationship between humans and the environment that included some level of economic activities,” he said.
He said PHC will be taking over four other dilapidated bungalows, along with Fernhill and Convalescent Bungalow, for refurbishment.
He said the addition of lodgings on the hill for visitors to stay in will not strain the hill’s resources.
“There is no question of over-capacity as we do not intend to increase huge populations on the hill. We are only looking into meeting the demand for short stays on the hill and these are not all foreign visitors. We are talking about locals who would like to stay there for a couple nights due to the cooler environment,” Cheok said.
He added that there have been numerous requests for lodgings on the hill by local and foreign visitors over the years.
Penang Forum had earlier claimed that there were almost 1,000 residents on the hill and that having a large hotel on the hill will bring about 600 more people to the hill which will strain its resources.
The Penang Hills Watch also started an online petition titled “Save Penang Hill! NO large hotels on Penang Hill!” about a week ago and has garnered over 22,000 signatures since.
