GEORGE TOWN, May 8 — The fate of the proposed Karpal Singh Drive reclamation project remains undecided, with the developer seeking more time to revise and resubmit its plans.
The developer, PLB Engineering Berhad, will be applying to project owner, Penang Development Corporation (PDC), for an extension of time (EOT), state local government committee chairman Jason H’ng Mooi Lye said in a news conference at the State Legislative Assembly building here today.
“PDC will then present the working papers in relation to the EOT to the state exco on May 20,” he said, adding that any decision on whether the RM1 billion project proceeds or is scrapped will only be made after that review.
H’ng said the state is still evaluating the project following repeated setbacks in its environmental approval process.
He confirmed that the Department of Environment (DoE) had rejected the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) application for the fifth time in March.
“For now, we have not decided to proceed or to scrap the project, we need to look at the overall project and decide based on various factors that will be presented to us on May 20,” he said.
He said discussions with PDC and PLB Engineering will focus on whether the revised conditions set by regulators can be met.
“The developer will be updating the conditions set by DoE and at the same time, we will look at whether the conditions can be met,” he said.
PLB Engineering has also proposed changes to the project scope, including adding a public recreational park component.
H’ng said the DoE had rejected the application on March 2 after technical details were found to be insufficient.
The reclamation plan involves about 30 hectares off Karpal Singh Drive as part of a wider redevelopment of the Jelutong landfill area.
The project, first agreed in 2020 between PDC and PLB Engineering, has drawn repeated objections from environmental groups over its proximity to the Middle Bank marine sanctuary, which is recognised as a biodiversity-rich seagrass ecosystem in the Strait of Malacca.
