GEORGE TOWN: The developer of a new hillslope development at Batu Ferringhi cannot give safety assurance to residents of the neighbouring Miami Green Resort Condominium.
This was the outcome after several hours of a meeting between both parties, while Penang Island City Council (MBPP) acted as a mediator.
The residents were left frustrated as the developer still could not assure them of their safety even after their project had been given approval by the related authorities.
“It is baffling...they even said their design for the project is perfect and still cannot assure us that we are safe to live at our the neighbouring units.
“The lives of 1,700 residents living at Miami Green are at stake, yet they cannot give 100 per cent assurance that we will be safe,” said the residents’ association committee vice-chairman Gerhard Leschke at a press conference following the meeting here today.
At the same press conference, a residents’ association committee member, Jack Vallin, said that the deadly Tanjung Bungah landslide incident, which claimed the life of 11 workers, should have been a reminder to the state authorities of the danger of hillslope development.
The proposed hillslope development comprises two blocks of three-storey service apartments, with 336 units each and a 28-storey block with 197 units of affordable apartments.
The project is on approximately 5ha of land on steep, environmentally-sensitive hillslopes. About two-thirds of the plot is more than 76.2m above sea level.
Residents had organised several press conferences since last year to highlight their plight and urged the state government to stop hillslope projects for the safety of the people.
An independent geotechnical and environmental technical consultant Aziz Noor explained at the meeting that the project was a very challenging construction.
He said the plot of land to be developed had already been classified as environmentally-sensitive areas with disaster risk as per stated at Penang Structural Plan 2020.
“It is clearly stated that no form of development shall be allowed,” he added.
The hour-long meeting, however, became fruitless as they could not come to a proper solution.
“We now wait, whether the authorities will revoke the planning permission or otherwise, only then we will decide on our next course of action,” said Leschke.