DAP Tanjung Bungah assemblyperson Teh Yee Cheu is urging the Penang government to freeze all high-rise project applications within his constituency while the Penang Structure Plan 2020 (PSP) is pending revision.

The text of PSP, that was gazetted in 2007, stated that Tanjung Bungah was placed in the secondary development corridor where development density was restricted to 15 units per acre. This, however, was not reflected in the map.

According to the Town and Country Planning Act, the PSP would be revised every five years.

Teh requested the authorities to rectify the discrepancy and restore Tanjung Bungah in the secondary development corridor.

“Since the plan is pending review, the state government, local authority and its technical team should carefully examine all high-rise project applications in Tanjung Bungah or even better, freeze all applications, to avoid developers taking advantage by maximising their density under the primary corridor,” Teh said in a press conference today.

"For me, it is better to freeze those projects until the dispute over the secondary corridor is solved. As we know, there are many grey areas in our structural plan.”

Teh claimed that Tanjung Bungah had around 50 high-rise apartments, five projects were under construction and 20 were still in the submission stage.

The state government had started the review since 2011, but the process was slowed down due to the retirement of the Town and Country Planning department director, Teh added.

"Besides that, they even changed the consultant,” Teh said after chairing the press conference to address Jalan Concord residents’ concerns related to traffic impact caused by a new development project.

Teh said he was not convinced that the previous consultant did not plan to rectify the corridor status, while proposing for Tanjung Bungah to be listed as a future development area.

"The new consultant just took over about two months ago and we just have a simple discussion. But so far they haven't presented any plan to me," he said.

“The state government should be more cautious and don't simply bow to any lobby from any developer or capitalist,” Teh added.

Teh told the government to consider the local needs in terms of planning and housing project approval and not to solely follow the planning of the developer.

For instance, Tanjung Bungah should have more low- and medium-cost houses, instead of affordable housing which was sold at a higher price.

He also pointed out that the affordable housing project planned in Jalan Lembah Permai, where units were to be sold at RM400,000, was too expensive for the locals.

"Although there are two low- and medium-cost projects already approved in this area, they have yet to commence work. We hope the government will request the developer to build those projects first."