Council denies delaying approval

Council denies delaying approval
11/06/2005 The Star Penang

The Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) refuted criticisms that it has been slow in approving development plans.

Councillor Teh Leong Meng, who chaired the monthly meeting as council president Datuk Ahmad Phesal Talib was on leave, said most delays were because the plans did not comply with building guidelines.

He said so far the council had been able to approve plans within a reasonable period.

Teh was commenting on a complaint by property developer Tan Sri Low Yow Chuan, who said he had had enough of the suffocating red tape and numbing bureaucracy in Penang.

Low, 72, who is executive chairman of the Low Yat Group, had said that he was close to pulling out of ever doing any projects on the island.

In response, state Local Government Committee chairman Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan said Penang was business-friendly and investors need not wait many years to get their building plans approved.

Teh said the mayor’s committee, which meets once every fortnight, discussed plans submitted with architects and could make on-the-spot approval for small projects, such as renovation works.

He said plans for bigger projects such as housing schemes and commercial property development were vetted by the council’s planning and building committee.

“It usually takes at least four months for big scale projects to be approved but this also depends on the complexity of the project,” he said.