George Town of Penang Island and Malacca will not de-list or downgrade the status of from its World Heritage List by the Unesco, ending a protracted controversy over four hotels approved by the Penang government in George Town’s heritage zone.
The decision was made after the Unesco’s World Heritage Committee (WHC) review on Sunday in Seville, Spain
Unesco’s decision comes on the heels of a series of letters sent by Penang government to the WHC, outlining Penang’s measures for heritage conservation and preservation.
The letter reiterated that Penang has compelled the developers of the four projects to strictly comply with guidelines and requirements set by Unesco and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (Icomos).
The height of two of the buildings (both planned for 51m) in George Town’s core zone are now required to be reduced to 18m. The two projects, by Asian Global Business Sdn Bhd and Boustead Holdings Bhd, are located at the Weld Quay waterfront.
The other two projects, both planned for 84m, by Bintang Holdings Sdn Bhd and E&O Sdn Bhd, will be modified to have their impacts reduced. Both are located in the buffer zone.
The other new state decisions relayed to the WHC include:
- Introduction of Heritage Impact Assessment to be submitted to Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) for review of any new development proposals within the world heritage site should any heritage guidelines be contravened;
- Plan to declare July 7 as a "George Town Unesco World Heritage Day" and public holiday to create awareness and education on heritage issues;
- Approval by the Penang State Planning Committee (SPC) on May 21 for the formation of a technical review panel to review and assess any new proposed developments within the World Heritage Site
- Abolition of a proviso that allows new development projects within the heritage site for buildings of more than 18m in height if the proposed site exceeds more than 50,000 sq ft, by the SPC on May 21
- Approval by the Penang State Assembly at its last meeting of a special state enactment, Chief Minister Incorporated (CMI), to govern and manage the World Heritage Site
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