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Wed, 10 Feb 2010
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 NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS :: Local News |
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Unesco heritage listing: Height of new projects capped at 18 metres
by Himanshu Bhatt
Development for a 51 metre hotel building by
Boustead Holdings Bhd along Weld Quay, in
George Town's Unesco heritage zone. | GEORGE TOWN (Nov 25, 2008) : A nomination dossier approved by Unesco in granting World Heritage Listing to George Town and Malacca has confirmed the international body’s endorsement for new development projects in George Town to be capped at 18 metres.
According to the dossier – a copy of which has been obtained by theSun – new developments within both the core and buffer zones “is allowed up to a maximum of 18 metres measured from the ground level up to the roof eave.”
The dossier, however, makes no mention about status of projects that exceed the limit but were approved by the Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) before the Unesco listing was awarded.
Unesco’s regional adviser to Asia-Pacific, Richard Engelhardt, had last week warned that Penang’s heritage status may be affected due to four high-rise projects approved in the conservation area.
He said the sincerity of an authority would be put into question if inappropriate structures were passed after application for heritage status had been submitted.
Former state executive councillor Teng Chang Yeow then claimed on Saturday that two of the projects, both along Weld Quay, had been approved in accordance with guidelines.
He said the State Planning Committee (SPC) had in early 2007 amended a five-storey limit for new development in the inner city, to allow some high-rise projects to take place “with conditions”.
Teng added that Unesco was made aware of the projects through a supplementary document before the listing was given.
A buffer zone of a World Heritage Site is an area around
the site which has been identified to protect the visual
setting of the site. Development proposals within the
buffer zone will be considered for their impact upon the
site. | However, neither the dossier nor an evaluation report by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) make any mention of such a “supplementary document”.
(Unesco’s decision to list George Town and Malacca was based largely on the ICOMOS evaluation.)
The height restrictions in George Town’s heritage zone are specified in the ‘Guidelines for Conservation Areas and Heritage Buildings’. Gazetted on Aug 23, 2007, these guidelines were placed as a key document in the dossier for Unesco to approve.
The guidelines also stipulate that the maximum height of new developments “located within the ensemble of heritage buildings or adjoining to important or highly significant buildings” shall not exceed that of the adjoining heritage buildings.
ICOMOS in its evaluation refers to the guidelines as a “relevant legal instrument” for heritage conservation in George Town.
Interestingly, the dossier also comprises a Heritage Management Plan (HMP) approved by the SPC on Feb 12, 2008, which mentions the existence of planning permissions and building plans approved prior to 2007.
"Issues arise from these new development projects which have yet to be built but are now not in consonance with the new Guidelines for Conservation Areas and Heritage Buildings approved by the State Planning Committee in August 2007," the HMP says.
Both the dossier and the ICOMOS evaluation also air concerns about negative impact of tourism in George Town.
Tourist arrivals in Penang totalled three million in 2006, and is forecast to increase with the Unesco listing.
“Control of tourism pressures must be one of the goals of the management plan,” the ICOMOS evaluation says.
“ICOMOS considers that the increase in visitors to the nominated properties could potentially jeopardise their values, integrity and authenticity and recommends that the management plan include measures for sustainable tourism development,” it adds.
Incidentally, all the four high-rise projects are hotels.
The three projects approved by the former Barisan Nasional (BN) government are developed by Eastern & Oriental Hotel Sdn Bhd (84m), Boustead Holdings Bhd (51m) and Asian Global Business Sdn Bhd (51m).
A fourth project by Low Yat Group (84m) was approved under the new Pakatan Rakyat state government on June 26 this year, 10 days before the Unesco listing.
The dossier also notes significant pressure on George Town from motor traffic and “high-impact projects” such as the monorail, for which a line was planned to end at the ferry terminal.
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Updated: 12:58AM Wed, 26 Nov 2008
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