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THE public hearing for the Penang Hill Special Area Plan (SAP) (Substitution) draft is scheduled to be held in September this year.
State Local Government, Housing, Town and Country Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo said that according to Act 172, the required duration for the public hearing is one month.
“However, the duration can be extended to a maximum of two months.
“The public hearing is aimed at gathering feedback, objections and suggestions from the public pertaining to the draft.
“The Penang Hill SAP (Substitution) is expected to be gazetted by December this year,” Jagdeep said in his speech during the ‘Focus Group Discussion’ session with government departments and technical agencies at Cititel Hotel Penang yesterday.
Jagdeep said that the State Planning Committee had agreed to the Terms of Reference of the Penang Hill SAP (Substitution) on Aug 16, 2018.
“Urban Scale Studio Sdn Bhd signed the letter of acceptance on Dec 12 last year to be the consultant for the Penang Hill SAP (Substitution),” he said, adding that the preparation period for the draft is 12 months, until Dec 11 this year.
He said that the ‘Focus Group Discussion’ session was part of an early publicity to obtain feedback, opinions and suggestions.
He said that among the crucial issues discussed during the session were the conservation of water catchment areas, slope mitigation measures for Penang Hill, monitoring of development on Penang Hill and the proposed cable car alignment.
“I take the development and growth of Penang Hill very seriously.
“Penang Hill is one of the major tourism products of the state.
“According to the record, Penang Hill recorded some 1.74 million visitors last year.
“The number of visitors to Penang Hill is huge and it shows the need for us to protect and develop the Penang Hill according to the state’s Penang2030 vision of a family-focused green and smart state,” Jagdeep added.
Story by Christopher Tan
Pix courtesy of Jagdeep’s office