THE much-anticipated Gurney Wharf project has been officially renamed as the ‘Gurney Bay.’
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the name change was necessary to better reflect the location and concept of the project.
“The main reason to change the name was made following some complaints that the original name was not suitable as there is no wharf or pier at the project site.
“So, we did an online poll and based on the result, the majority of the respondents choose Gurney Bay as the new name for the project.
“Hence, we decided to officially change the name of the Gurney Wharf project to Gurney Bay,” Chow said in his speech at the civil servants’ gathering at Dewan Sri Pinang today.
Also present were Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Ahmad Zakiyuddin Abdul Rahman and State Secretary Datuk Mohd Sayuthi Bakar.
The Gurney Bay project, which started in 2016, is being built on reclaimed land off Gurney Drive.
The project is divided into Priority 1 and Priority 2.
Priority 1 consists of the following components, namely children’s play area, skate park, viewing deck (south vantage point), public toilets, promenade for pedestrians, hawker stalls, retail areas and recreation park, hawker kiosks, open car park space, and water body (south) reclamation area.
Meanwhile, Priority 2 consists of a hawker centre, retail area, convenience stores, viewing deck (north), public toilets, kiosks for additional hawkers, multi-storey car park, open car park, water garden, surau, jetty for water taxis, man-made beach and broadwalk, refuse centre, water body (north) and many more.
It is learnt that phase one or better known as Priority 1 of the project is expected to be completed soon and open to the public in July this year.
Meanwhile, the whole project is expected to be completed in 2025.
On a separate matter, Chow said the state government would focus on several top priorities in the next five years if the current administration still receives a strong mandate from the people of Penang.
“Should the current administration still be given the mandate after the state election to administer Penang once again, we would focus on more initiatives to spur the state’s economy.
“These include creating more job opportunities in the electrical and electronics (E&E) sector, integrated circuit (IC) design, medical technology, digital district initiatives and the new economy.
“We will also ensure mega projects in the state will be implemented smoothly including the realisation of the ‘Silicon Island’ project, which is part of the Penang South Island (PSI), and also George Town-Bayan Lepas Light Rail Transit project which is part of the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP).
“Apart from that, we also aim to improve the traffic flow on the mainland by urging the Federal Government to fund the Sungai Dua Expressway project.
“This proposed expressway project (elevated highway project) can curb the traffic congestion in the area from Juru to Sungai Dua effectively,” he said.
Chow added that the state government also would prioritise issues related to climate change.
“These include ensuring the completion of the ongoing flood mitigation projects, low carbon cities initiatives, and electric vehicle (EV) facilities in the state.
“We will also continue to implement the Water Contingency Plan 2030 (WCP 2030) to avoid potential water crises in the state from recurring.
“Lastly, we will also focus on empowering the people in the state, community development, youth, women and the senior citizen,” he said.
At the end of his speech, Chow expressed the Penang government’s commitment to supporting civil servants in delivering excellent services.
“This is important to ensure the services delivered are in line with the state government’s Penang2030 vision of ‘A Family-Focused Green and Smart State that Inspires the Nation’,” he said.
Story by Riadz Akmal
Pix by Ahmad Adil Muhamad
Video by Law Suun Ting