Save Penang Turf Club land as green space, state govt urged
The Penang Turf Club, founded in 1864, is part of 93ha of prime land in Batu Gantong. (Penang Turf Club pic)
GEORGE TOWN : An NGO has urged the state government to place the Penang Turf Club land under a special area plan to preserve it as a public green space in line with its original recreational use.
The call by Penang Forum comes a day after the turf club said it would shut down and sell its 93ha property in eight separate parcels following a failed attempt to sell all 39 lots in one tender.
Yesterday, it said it would hold its last race meeting on May 31, and was closing down after more than 160 years.
Penang Forum said Parcel 1, which contains the clubhouse and golf course, has not been granted planning permission to change its current land use.
It said no development approvals should be given without proper public consultation and public inquiries, as required by the Town and Country Planning Act 1976.
'(The turf club land) should be governed by a special area plan, parked under a single management body or special purpose vehicle, to ensure that its uses are compatible with the original purpose and intention of the land grant,' it said in a statement.
Penang Forum said the land, first given to the club for recreation in 1864, was purchased at its current location in 1935 for 250,000 Straits Settlement dollars (about US$6 million today) at 2.5 cents per sq ft.
It said the turf club has since 'benefitted generously' from the use of the land for more than 160 years.
It said although the land is marked as part of a 'Primary Development Corridor (KKP1)' under the 2030 Penang state structure plan, which allows for residential, commercial and other uses, its historic and environmental value must be a priority.
It warned against repeating the mistakes of 2008, when a mega development called the Penang Global City Centre (PGCC) was proposed for the site.
Reports said the project was eventually cancelled after strong public protest, and was widely seen as contributing to then Gerakan chief minister Koh Tsu Koon's defeat in the 2008 general election.
Penang Forum also said the state is facing a shortage of green space, with only 7.8 sq m per person, far below the World Health Organization's minimum recommendation of 9 sq m and Plan Malaysia's 20 sq m target.
It said the turf club site offers a chance to build a world-class public park instead of adding to what it described as an island already 'inundated' with high-rise concrete blocks and worsening traffic.
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