GEORGE TOWN: Gerakan has called on the state government to explain if it will allow any new development at the site of the Penang Turf Club (PTC).

And if it did, would it give priority to building affordable homes at the site?

The party's vice-president, Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan, said Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng should answer these questions instead of continuously criticising the previous state administration over the status of the piece of land.

"Is Lim aware that the PTC land title is freehold first grade and that any land owner with such a title can submit an application to develop it regardless of whether land zoning is done?

"Is he also aware that if such an application is rejected, the owner has the right to refer the case to the Appeals Board to require the state government to purchase the land?"
Dr Teng has been hitting back at Lim after the latter kept harping on the re-zoning of the PTC land for the Penang Global City Centre project.

Lim had questioned the previous Gerakan-led state administration on why it had changed the status of the PTC land from "recreational/open space" to "development" in the State Structural Plan 2006-2020 last June.

Dr Teng said Lim should be aware that even if the structure plan was in place and gazetted from recreational/open space to new development, the state government still had the final say on what type and scale of development could be allowed.

He said this would ultimately determine the value of the land.

Dr Teng said the state administration could change the development composition at any point prior to the approval from the Penang Island Municipal Council.

Meanwhile, Lim maintained that former chief minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon should come clean on the PTC land issue.

"We have asked him for answers but until now, he has failed to respond," said Lim.