GEORGE TOWN: The state government today said the revised George Town Special Area Plan (SAP) will be more business-friendly and yet preserve its Unesco World Heritage Site once it comes into force by September next year.
Local Government, Housing, Town and Country Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo said the new SAP would focus on allowing mixed-use activities in the area.
He said other improvements included the planning, management and standardising of guidelines at the heritage site such as the preservation of Outstanding Universal Value, which saw George Town being recognised by Unesco.
Jagdeep said the public could give feedback on the SAP before it was released in April, with a final SAP to be tabled by September. He said all feedback could be channelled to the PLANMalaysia@Pulau Pinang website at http://jpbd.penang.gov.my.
The first SAP came into force on Aug 1, 2016, with rules and restrictions on some 5,000 buildings in the George Town area. It is renewable every five years.
The plan denotes what businesses can operate, which areas have been given special exclusions and which are the “no-touch, no-development” areas.
The 2016 SAP was commissioned by the Penang government and the state heritage agency, George Town World Heritage Inc, to comply with Unesco regulations on the heritage site. The plan was also seconded to Unesco for its approval.
Source: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2020/11/03/george-town-development-plan-to-be-business-and-heritage-friendly/