Looks like it's crunch time. Over the past days, a team of people from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre have been making their rounds in George Town for a crucial evaluation of four high-rise hotels coming up in the heritage zone and, by extension, our world cultural heritage status.Seems that the four approved hotel projects would exceed the maximum height of 18 metres required for buildings in UNESCO world cultural heritage core and buffer zones. How approvals had been given to the four hotels when Penang was in the midst of applying for UNESCO world cultural heritage listing for George Town remained a puzzle. A classic example of the right hand not knowing what the left hand was doing. Or maybe there was more to it? But surely, the authorities would have been aware of the heritage guidelines a long time ago. Work had started on some of the sites and it may be impossible to ask them to stop and go back to their drawing boards.
Much will depend on the talks between the UNESCO people, the state government and the hotel developers.
The controversy had erupted last November. Of the four hotels, the Rice Miller boutique hotel in Weld Quay, the Boustead Royale Bintang Hotel in Downing Street and the E&O Hotel extension in Farquhar Street - were approved by the previous state administration. The fourth approval was given by the present state government to the Low Yat Group for their hotel in Northam Road just days before UNESCO approved the joint world cultural heritage listing for George Town and Malacca.
With the recent tan huk joo's land scam and a simple sorry from ADUN from Balik Pulau, justifies once again the incompetency of the past administration. Now we are saddled with this inquest from UNESCO and god knows how these folks from Gerakan will say. I think I know what they will say - "We are not aware ...bla bla bla..." I think it is time to screw them badly. Hillslope, Heritage, all the bloody things that are of Penang are now on LGE's shoulders. Rest assured, we shall remember BN....bloddy nitwits.
ReplyDeleteI propose they follow the 18m guideline and build the shortfall in floors underground.
ReplyDeleteThis would be a world first.It would be cool and away from the tropical sun.I reckon all the grease and crap from the hawker stalls that have seeped through the cracked drains would make drilling easy.
Who knows, they might just hit Francis Light's septic tank.Dejavu!