NIBONG TEBAL: THE state Barisan Nasional has hit back at Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng over his claim that the previous administration did not make provision for low-cost housing to be built on the prime land at Taman Manggis in Jalan Burma, George Town.

Its chairman, Teng Chang Yeow, yesterday produced a copy of a 2003 memo from the then director of Housing and Local Government of the state secretary's office to the then State Secretary to back his claim.

Teng said according to the memo, the initial plan was to build two blocks of People's Housing Project (PPR) on a 1.97ha plot of land located at the junction of Jalan Zainal Abidin-Lorong Selamat in Jalan Burmah.

However, Teng said based on a standardised plan that was similarly adopted by the Federal Government, only one 18-storey block of flats could be built then, while the remaining plot of land was to be kept for future development.

"Based on the memo, the architect concerned had recommended that a 16-storey additional block could be built on the remaining piece," Teng told reporters at former Bukit Tambun assemblyman Lai Chew Hock's office in Simpang Ampat here yesterday.

He added that the matter was further discussed by the then Housing Committee in the state executive council on April 29, 2003 and June 24, 2003.

"The committee had subsequently agreed that a block of flats under the People's Housing Project (PPR) with rental should be ideally developed there.

"So my original statement is true and I stand by it."

Teng was commenting on Lim's claim that that the previous administration had not made any provision for public housing to be built on the land which had since been sold to a private buyer by the DAP-led state government.

On Thursday, Lim alleged that the state BN's claim was "completely untrue". He was reported as saying: "The land was not reserved for public housing. Despite that, we have been looking at whether it can be used for affordable homes."

Lim had claimed that his administration decided that the land was too small and not feasible for public housing and instead identified a 4.45ha site in Jalan S.P Chelliah to build affordable homes.

Teng had earlier said it was unbecoming for the current state government to scrap the original plan to build PPR homes at the site in favour of a 30-storey private medical specialist centre.

Teng said he had also discovered that the Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) had received a planning permission application for the construction of a 30-storey building on Lots 305, 306, 313 and 314 at the Jalan Zainal Abidin-Lorong Selamat junction, Section 16, George Town.

"I found this after running an online search on the council's One Stop Centre. So my question now, is whether the state government is willing to scrap the plan to build the 30-storey building?

"If the same plot of land is deemed as not feasible to build a 18-storey block of affordable homes, then how could it accommodate the proposed 30-storey building?" he asked.

Teng said the the state and MPPP should stop twisting facts.