Founder of the George Town Heritage Group on Facebook Mark Lay has expressed hope that the developer who demolished parts of the historical building built by Sir Stamford Raffles would build a replica at the site.

Penang Heritage Group coordinator Mark Lay said the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) should have preserved the demolished Raffles Bungalow, instead of the three-storey building that is only the new wing for Runnymede Hotel.

However, the concept of a replica or a rebuild is rather controversial.

“I do not usually support the idea, but it can be considered in this case, since part of Raffles Bungalow was also rebuilt,” Lay told a press conference in George Town yesterday.

"Legally, they (the developer) don't have the obligation to do so, but it will indeed be good for them if they do it,” he added.

“I can’t imagine how on earth a hotel developer would demolish the only Raffles house in Southeast Asia.

“They could have turned it into a marketing tool to attract tourists, especially those from Singpore's high-end market,” Lay ( photo ) said.

Heritage activists have come together to condemn the developer’s actions and called on the state government to protect heritage buildings.

According to Lay, Raffles Bungalow was built in 1808 and was burnt down in 1901. The house was then rebuilt two years later.

“In 1930, a new wing was constructed and that is the three-storey building which remains until today.

“But instead of preserving the new wing, they should have kept the main building of the Runnymede Hotel, or what we call Raffles Bungalow,” Lay said.

“The new wing may be significant in architecture but is of no historical significance compared with the Raffles Bungalow,” he added.

"What they are doing is like tearing down the old E&O Hotel, but only keep the new annexe building and then claim it as heritage,” Lay said.

He explained that the local authority had included both buildings in their heritage inventories in 1988 and 1993.

He questioned how MBPP Heritage Department director Noor Hanis Noordin could claim they have no record on the Raffles Bungalow.

He noted that the George Town World Heritage Incorporated (GTWHI) - a state agency on heritage matters - is preparing a new inventory which lists more than 6,000 heritage buildings (within and outside the island’s heritage site).

'Disclose information to public'

“They should disclose this to the public or upload the information onto the GTWHI website to get public feedback. Why not make it a consorted effort involving the community?” Lay asked.

Parts of the Runnymede Hotel were demolished on Feb 8, the first day of Chinese New Year.

State executive council Chow Kon Yeow said the developer was granted planning permission by the previous BN state government, back in 1993.

Lay said it was impossible for a planning permission to be valid for 16 years as the environment and landscape, including traffic, would have changed over the period.

To avoid a repeat of such an incident, he urged the government to implement the heritage management plan to ensure that future applications for planning permission need to be submitted together with a study conducted on the history of the building.

Lay also questioned why the state government continued to delay implementing the Penang Heritage Enactment, which empowers the heritage commissioner to designate certain buildings as heritage sites.

"If you are serious in conserving heritage, this should be your top priority,” Lay said.

"The chief minister keeps on using ‘heritage’ when promoting Penang, but look at what has happened on the ground.”