GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Island City Council (MBPP) has issued a stop work order for the Tanjung City Marina redevelopment project after the roofing of two heritage godowns at the site were illegally torn down.
MBPP, in a statement, said works to remove the roofing of Godown 7 and Godown 8 at the Tanjung City Marina site were done without its approval.
"Godown 7 and Godown 8 are Category Two heritage buildings. As such, any work at the site requires prior approval from MBPP.
"And since there was no prior approval given to remove the roofing of the two godowns, we issued a stop work order notice to the landowner, Penang Port Commission (PPC), on May 13," it said today.
The stop work order, issued under the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974, compels the landowner to stop work immediately and obtain approval before commencement of further work.
In August last year, PPC signed a lease agreement with MPDT Capital Bhd for the company to redevelop the port's three old godowns and part of the Tanjung City Marina within the next two years.
Meanwhile, MBPP said the project contractor had briefed their technical review panel with regards to the Tanjung City Marina redevelopment project in November last year.
Among others, the plans were to restore and upgrade the existing Tanjung City Marina building, the existing Church Pier dock, two restaurants, to restore and convert the usage of the three godowns and to upgrade the pedestrian walkway along the site.
"The MBPP technical review panel took note of the proposals then," it added.
MBPP also said that it received the pre-negotiation application on May 10, this year but the application was still under consideration.
"Until now, the landowner has yet to obtain any approval from the MBPP for additional amendments at the site," it added.
Meanwhile, PPC chairman Datuk Tan Teik Cheng is currently attending the 2022 World Ports Conference in Vancouver, Canada.