A TOTAL of six heritage buildings in the George Town Unesco World Heritage Site have been restored under the George Town World Heritage Habitat Seed Fund since 2018.
The latest building to be restored is No. 5 Lebuh King. The other restored buildings include No. 1 Lorong Muda, No. 23 Lebuh Queen, No. 25 Lebuh Queen, No. 41 Lebuh Bishop, and No. 42A Lebuh Bishop.
To realise this, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow announced Penang has allocated RM3 million to support owners of the Category II Heritage Buildings with long-term tenants, helping them with the repair and restoration of their properties.
“Today, I am proud to add No. 5 Lebuh King to the list of restoration, with a cost of RM370,606.40. The comprehensive repairs involve work on the building’s facade, roof tiles, windows, and flooring, all of which reflect the historical significance of this heritage site.
“This shows our unwavering commitment to supporting building owners in the restoration and preservation of our cultural landmarks in town,” he said during his speech at the completion ceremony for No. 5 Lebuh King today.
During the event, Chow noted that many residents in the neighbourhood had moved out from the city to the other townships of Penang over the past few years.
“From the census that has been conducted, only a few thousand residents remain compared to a sizeable population of the past.
“Many of them moved out from George Town following the repeal of the Rent Control Act 1966 in 2000, which led to an increase in rental costs, ” he said.
Recalling the significant achievement of George Town being declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2008, Chow mentioned that about 500 heritage buildings were in dilapidated condition at the time.
He said the buildings would collapse if no conservation and preservation efforts were undertaken, adding that many of the social activists had expressed their wishes to maintain the buildings in their current state.
“However, we chose to preserve the buildings to avoid the disappearance of intangible and heritage values from the site. The buildings can be restored and repurposed for other businesses, but the core structures remain intact.
“The old buildings would surely be in a bad shape now if no efforts had been made,” he said.
Chow also hoped the buildings’ owners would impose reasonable monthly rentals to ensure the tenants could continue to stay and he praised the Federal Government for allocating RM25 million for the preservation of these buildings.
George Town World Heritage Site Incorporated (GTWHI) general manager Dr Ang Ming Chee praised the initiative.
“This is a collaborative effort between the state, GTWHI, and Category II Heritage Building owners, who host long-term tenants to enhance the living environment for residents in heritage buildings,” she said.
Ang said the restoration works for the No. 5 project in Lebuh King began on January 2 this year and was completed on July 1.
“The repair and restoration work completed for the building owner, Estate of Yeap Chor Ee (deceased), would benefit its long-term tenant, Thurai Singam a/l Vellasamy and family,” she added.
Also in attendance during the event were State Secretary Datuk Seri Rosli Isa, Deputy Finance Minister Lim Hui Ying, who also serves as Tanjong MP, state Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Wong Hon Wai, Komtar assemblyman Teh Lai Heng, Pengkalan Kota assemblyman Wong Yuee Harng, and Penang Island City Council (MBPP) mayor Datuk A. Rajendran.
Story by Edmund Lee
Pix by Siti Nuratikah Rahmat
Video by Darwina Mohd Daud