Council denies delaying
approval
The Star Penang 11/6/2005
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.
