KOTA KINABALU: In-depth studies, countless consultations and meticulous planning by experts will spell success for the Tanjung Aru Eco Development (TAED) project here, said City Hall mayor Datuk Yeo Boon Hai.
He was responding to critics predicting the project’s failure due to the state government’s incompetence, and the allegedly disastrous impact TAED will have on the natural environment.
“TAED has received support from professional bodies (such as) Persatuan Arkitek Malaysia (PAM), the Royal Institute of Surveyors, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and the Sabah Housing and Real Estate Developers Association.
“Those who are bent on criticising the development and predicting its failure are doing so prematurely and unfairly,” he said in a recent statement.
According to Yeo, the master plan for TAED has already been submitted to Kota Kinabalu City Hall and public consultations will be conducted soon.
He stressed that the environmental impact plan for the project is of a very high standard and the project development consultant, Savills, was brought in for its experience in many sensitive land developments throughout the region.
City Hall is already planning to work closely with the Sabah Forestry Department to plant more trees for the project.
Yeo added that the project’s beach, which will be lengthened and widened, will still be open to the public, while TAED’s park is designed to be twice the size of the present Prince Philip Park at Tanjung Aru here.
“TAED will also bring many job opportunities for future generations and will have a positive impact on Kota Kinabalu,” he said.