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By Dr Goh Ban Lee. FOR many Malaysians, Penangites, especially those on the island, are a lucky lot, what with the hills, sea and beaches, all within short travelling distance. And, according to Unesco, the part of George Town many Penangites used to consider as dilapidated and unattractive is a gem after all. It is an international World Heritage Site. While the islanders are fortunate to have these natural and man-made attractions, it means little if they are inaccessible.
Unfortunately, despite the existence of a policy or regulation requiring landowners to set aside 50ft of land from the high-water mark to ensure public access to coastal areas, this is apparently not uniformly applied to reclaimed land. The problem of access is enhanced by the growing popularity of gated communities. While such communities are sought-after because of safety and status symbol, they are not good for the building of livable cities as they inhibit access. Gated communities in coastal areas, unless stringently controlled, can prevent public access to the coastal areas. There is a need to treat this matter urgently as there are massive reclamation projects taking place on the island, especially on the northern and eastern parts. While land reclamation is common around islands, such as in Singapore and Hongkong, a combination of gated communities and reclamation can result in inaccessibility to scenic coastal areas. The public is usually unaware of impending projects. By the time construction activities begin on the ground, it is too late to change anything. Even if those who protest provide good grounds against the projects, the chance of them being stopped is almost zero. The usual reason given by state leaders is that the government would be sued for compensation. Complicating matters, large tracts of reclaimed land are not immediately placed within the municipal boundaries. As such, the development control process on such land is not by the Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP), but rather by the state authority. While it may be too late to ensure that all reclaimed coastal areas are accessible to the public, there is an urgent need for a review of policies and regulations governing development on reclaimed land. Any policy or law that enables developers to fence off access to coastal areas should be repealed. What is important is to ensure that future land development projects on reclaimed land do not inhibit access to the sea or beaches. All newly reclaimed land must be gazetted as within the municipal boundaries to ensure that all land comes under the development control guidelines of the MPPP, which is the local planning authority. While there is no guarantee that it will do a better job than the state authority, it ensures some degree of uniformity in the development control process. Furthermore, it allows for some check and balance. It is pertinent that MPPP prepares general layout plans showing land use and intensity of use as soon as the sizes and sites of reclamation projects are approved. These plans should be the basis for the detailed development plans prepared by the consultants of developers. It is recommended that all development projects on reclaimed land have a 100m setback from the foreshore, irrespective of whether it is in the form of sandy beaches or just slopes of stones and rocks. The suggestion of 100m may be arbitrary. What is important is to ensure a public space separating the sea and private properties that is large enough to provide for a coastal linear park, pedestrian walkway and bicycle path. In some places, the public space can even include a motorised road and parking spaces. It is difficult to understand why the island does not have more "Gurney Drives" despite town planning and development control. Penang Island will be a much more attractive place if Penangites and visitors can walk or cycle safely around the island or at least from Tanjung Bungah to Bayan Lepas via George Town with large stretches of linear parks along the way. The problem of inhibited access to coastal areas is not unique to Penang Island. Many coastal towns and cities face the same problem. As a general rule, all scenic and recreational places, such as hills, streams, waterfalls or beaches, must be accessible to the public. It would a sad day if Penangites or Malaysians have to travel to foreign countries to enjoy the beauty and recuperative effects of such areas. ** Republished with permission. This article first appeared in the December 15, 2009 of theSun. The asuthor is interested in urban governance, housing and urban planning.
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