Come Aug 1, the much-awaited George Town World Heritage Special Area Plans (SAP) will be gazetted by the Penang government.

This was announced by Penang Housing, Town and Country Planning Committee chairperson Jagdeep Singh today, as he put to rest months of speculation surrounding the delay of the SAP.

The SAP aims to comply with Section 15 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1976 (Act 172), he added.

The most significant feature of the SAP is that it will act as a guideline to development activities around the George Town World Heritage Site.

With the SAP, haphazard development can be curtailed and prohibited, sustaining the viability while preserving the uniqueness of the site, which was awarded the Unesco World Heritage Site by Unesco on July 2008.

Coincidentally, July 7 (Thursday) is George Town World Heritage Day, where a host of arts and entertainment programmes curated by its festival director Joe Sidek awaits.

“With the SAP, the Penang Island Council (MBPP) can control development planning within the site,” he said at a press conference in George Town today.

“The MBPP can also decide, set development charges and declare areas for development under the SAP,” he added.

The State Planning Committee, headed by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, had alreaady approved the proposals of SAP on March 14, 2013; Aug 28, 2015 and May 27, 2016.

When it was submitted to the state executive council on June 15, the Penang government agreed to gazette SAP, said Jagdeep.

“The SAP enables the National Heritage Department assisted by the Penang Town and Country Planning Department and MBPP to carry out monitoring works to ensure the sustainability of the management of the George Town World Heritage Site according to the conditions set by the World Heritage Committee,” added Jagdeep.