8 theSun | THURSDAY NOVEMBER 27 2008

news without borders

Unesco warns
of tourism ‘strain’
on George Town
by Himanshu Bhatt
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
GEORGE TOWN: The
Unesco dossier on George
Town and Malacca’s World
Heritage Site status has
cautioned that increasing
tourist arrivals would
impact the sensitive
historical character of
George Town.
According to a crucial
Heritage Management
Plan (HMP) in the dossier
– a copy of which has been
obtained by theSun – the
rising numbers of tourists
would strain the city’s
“carrying capacity”.
Noting that tourism in
Penang is growing with
three million arrivals
recorded last year, the
dossier outlines an urgent
need for a coordinated
approach to tourism
management.
“Once listed as a Unesco
World Heritage Site, it is
anticipated that the rate
of growth will amplify to
increase at a rate of 20%
yearly,” it says.
“The impact of this
growth in numbers will
impose great strain on the
carrying capacity of the site.”
Incidentally, all four
controversial high-rise
projects approved prior to
the Unesco listing are hotels.
The HMP stresses that
the increase in visitors
would demand increases in
accommodation, transport,
parking, service and guiding
capacities.
“As demonstrated
in other Unesco World
Heritage Sites, there is an
opportunity to benefit from
visitors without impacting
on the significance of the
site.”
“The proliferation
of tourism-oriented
commercial outlets should
be controlled and confined
to designated areas so that
the nature of use, especially
in residential areas, does
not alter radically and in an
indiscriminate fashion.”
The dossier also
wants infrastructure
projects to be subjected to
Cultural Heritage Impact
Assessments.
“It is critical that no
compromises are allowed
that would jeopardise the
status of World Heritage
inscription,” it says.
The HMP recommends,
among others, that:
» A new Tourism Marketing
Strategy and visitor
management plan to be
prepared by the Penang
Island Municipal Council
and the Tourism Ministry
in consultation with
stakeholders;
» Locations of tourism-
oriented commercial
activities be controlled
through planning and
building use designations;
» A Special Area Plan of the
Harbour Area and the Clan
Jetties be made to ensure
development does not
degrade the site’s historical
significance; and
» A Technical Review Panel
be created to examine plans
to ensure that designs are
compatible with the heritage
values of the site, and that
high design standards are
maintained.

Ipoh to revalue properties

by Humayun Kabir
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
IPOH: The Ipoh City Council is con-
Bar sidering a revaluation of the 225,000
Council properties in its jurisdiction next year
to reflect the current property market
seeks values.
govt The last valuation was in 1982 and
funding the rate of assessment, currently 16%,
was based on that valuation. With
for legal higher values, the rate of assessment
aid rates is likely to drop to 10%.
pg 10 City Council Valuation and
Property Management Department
director Ahmad Suhaimi Manap told
theSun yesterday that the working
paper for the proposal is being pre-
pared and will take about two months
to complete.
“The proposal will then be submit-
ted to the state government for ap-
proval, after which the valuation will
be conducted with the assistance of
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) in
Skudai, Johor, which will use computer-
aided technology.
“Open tenders will be called for the
ground survey of the properties and
the revaluation exercise is expected
to take one to two years as it involves
a lot of ground work in measuring the
properties,” Ahmad said.
He said getting the state govern-
ment’s approval will be an uphill task
but stressed the revaluation is to
reduce the assessment rates that will
benefit ratepayers.
“If everyone pays the market rate
under the proposed revaluation, the
council’s coffers will increase and the
present rate of 16% will be reduced to
about 10%,” he said.
The 1982 exercise has resulted in
inequitable distribution of assessment
rates in the city, with new develop-
ments paying assessment on current
market value whereas prime land in
the heart of the city pay a pittance at
giveaway rates.
Ipoh Ratepayers and Taxpayers
Association deputy president Victor
Shankey had, for a long time, been
calling for a revaluation.

An underground tunnel in Ipoh?

IPOH: An underground
tunnel is believed to exist
in the city and apparently
links four heritage buildings
within a two square
kilometre area in the older
part of the state capital.
A doorway has been
located in the Town Hall
building along Jalan
Panglima Bukit Gantang
Wahab that apparently
leads into the tunnel which
is believed to also link the
nearby Ipoh Railway Station
building, the Ipoh Police
Station building and the Ipoh
High Court building, all of
which are similar in design.
These details were
disclosed by Ipoh mayor
Mohd Roshidi Hashim who
said the Ipoh City Council
(MBI) would conduct an
investigation to verify the
existence of the tunnel,
apparently built around
1900 during the British
administration.
“If such a tunnel exists,
then it will be turned into
another tourist attraction in
this city,” he told reporters
after chairing the council’s
monthly meeting here.
Mohd Roshidi said
the council was prepared
to work with the Unity,
Culture, Arts and
Heritage Ministry in the
redevelopment of historical
heritage sites.
He said the council will
prepare a working paper for
further discussion.