After weeks of verbal war between Penang Forum and the state government, the private sector has jumped onto the bandwagon, stating its stand on George Town heritage issues.

Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce's (PCCC) property development, construction and management committee (PDCMC) said the development of Sia Boey would not affect George Town's Unesco World Heritage Status.

At a press conference in George Town today, PCCC vice-president-cum-PDCMC convenor Finn Choong said this was because Sia Boey, an iconic area along the old Prangin Canal, was clearly not within the core or buffer zone of the heritage site.

"The initial proposed application to Unesco was supported by several local NGOs including Penang Forum.

"With their early involvement, these groups should be well aware that Sia Boey is located outside the core and buffer zone of the hertage site," Choong said.

"Since Sia Boey is outside the Unesco heritage zone, the planning of this area should be under the jurisdiction of the Penang Island City Council (MBPP)," he added.

"MBPP has its own heritage department and should be able to make its own decisions," Choong said.

Penang Forum, a coalition of 12 NGOs, was engaged in a tussle with state leaders over Sia Boey as a transport hub is earmarked in the area.

The NGOs wrote a letter to the Unesco World Heritage Center in Paris to request the world body to assess the site and whether it would be affected by the Transport Master Plan.

Choong said that over a decade ago, Sia Boey was also identified as a site under Komtar Phase 5, which was earmarked as a transport hub.

He said that Universiti Sains Malaysia might have recently discovered artifacts in Sia Boey – which proves that the site was a flourishing commercial post in the past – but there was still a need for a comprehensive study to ascertain its historical value.

"Once the historical value of the artifacts has been determined, the technical operating procedure should be to submit the full study to George Town World Heritage Incorporated (GTWHI) for it to be submitted to Unesco," said Choong.

Need for balance

He said the PDCMC's heritage and tourism division head Michael Geh would study the issues pertaining to the George Town heritage status.

This would include the reintroduction of rent control, which was abolished in 2000, and which had pushed the prices of rented property up.

Choong said the PDCMC would hold forums and seminars to gather views from communities and stakeholders on their vision for a heritage city.

"There is a need for balance between heritage conservation and sustainable development for George Town.

"We may seek the assistance of FIABCI, the International Real Estate Federation, which is accredited with Unesco, to study the issues.

“If the need arises, we will engage with Unesco and related organisation through GTWHI to convey the need to balance heritage conservation with sustainable development," said Choong.

"This is to ensure the core and buffer zones of the heritage sites, a relatively large, are sustainable.”