MORE than 200 families from the Weld Quay reclamation area are slated to relocate to Gat Lebuh Cecil next year. They will be moving to Cecil Residensi, a nearly completed affordable housing project in George Town developed by the Penang Development Corporation (PDC).
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow shared this during a special documentary screening on the Weld Quay reclamation area held at the Community Hall in Lebuh Macallum today.
However, Chow explained that the families will only be able to move into Cecil Residensi after a support pillar for the Penang Light Rail Transit (LRT) Mutiara Line, located near the housing project, is completed by MRT Corp.
He noted that the work can only be accessed through Cecil Residensi, which serves as the only entry route to the site.
“MRT Corp has requested time until April next year to complete the work, so the residents will likely move in after that, possibly in May or later,” Chow said.
Meanwhile, Chow said the Weld Quay reclamation community, who hold temporary occupancy licences (TOL) from the state government, will receive new homes on a one-for-one basis in exchange for their existing units.
“After the relocation of residents from the Weld Quay reclamation area, which is owned by the state government, PDC plans to redevelop the land in accordance with heritage guidelines.
“The components of the development have yet to be finalised, but our focus now is the relocation of the residents.
“It used to be a landfill, and in those difficult times, the people built their homes here and gradually formed a community with a strong sense of togetherness,” Chow said.
Chow also added that the state government had acted with sincerity in planning the exchange of homes, which has been accepted by the majority of residents.
Meanwhile, Pengkalan Kota assemblyman Wong Yuee Harng said that the state government has always worked to improve the living conditions of residents in the Weld Quay area.
Wong also thanked Chow, and Deputy Finance Minister and Tanjong MP Lim Hui Ying for providing the funds to support the documentary on the Weld Quay reclamation area.
Also present were Komtar assemblyman Teh Lai Heng, MPKK Pengkalan Weld chairman Loo Soo Lee, Chuah Ai Kheng, representing George Town World Heritage Incorporated (GTWHI) general manager Dr Ang Ming Chee, and ‘Persatuan Penduduk-penduduk Tepi Pantai’ Weld Quay chairman Yeoh Siew Beng.
Story by Tanushalini Moroter
Pix & Video by Muhammad Iqbal Hamdan