Do not demolish heritage buildings on excuse they are damaged - Penang EXCO

The Penang state government on Friday warned owners of heritage buildings to preserve their properties and not demolish them on the excuse that they are damaged.

Chairman of the State Local Government, Traffic Management and Flood Mitigation Committee Chow Kon Yeow expressed his regret with the attitude of some owners who neglected their buildings until they were badly damaged and difficult to repair.

"Some owners use this excuse (damage) to allow new projects to be built on the sites of their heritage buildings.

"If the buildings had been preserved earlier, it would have been easier and cheaper to repair them," he told reporters after visiting a storage site for an old bungalow which had been dismantled and taken to Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah here.

The bungalow, which was almost 100 years old, had been moved from its original location in Macalister Road to make way for a commercial project involving the construction of two tower blocks which were 20 and 21 storeys high, comprising a hotel, offices and apartments. Chow said there were other similar cases in the state involving high-value buildings which had been allowed to deteriorate before they were renovated or demolished, losing their original architecture.

He said the committee had instructed the Penang and Seberang Perai Municipal councils to study and prepare guidelines for the reconstruction of heritage structures which had to be observed before approval is given for a project.