Penang identifying heritage assets

Penang identifying heritage assets

September 9, 2014 @ 11:34pm
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GEORGE TOWN: A total of 2,508buildings, monuments and sites on Penang island have been identified and categorised as "heritage" to form part of an inventory that the state authorities intend to use as a basis to build heritage assets.

A draft of the exhaustive list has the structures and sites placed in two distinct categories and in 16 areas for planning and safe-guarding purposes.

The list of buildings, sites and monuments that are located outside the dedicated United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) core and buffer zones of George Town's World Heritage Site, was compiled by George Town World Heritage Inc (GTWHI), based on a recent survey it undertook, incorporating data
compiled seven years ago, along with records from the national and state archives boards, state museum board and site visits.

Notable buildings and sites include the Penang Free School, Penang Prison, the Penang governor's official residence Seri Mutiara, Penang Botanical Gardens, Church of the Immaculate Conception in Jalan Burmah and the former Runnymeade Hotel in Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah.

Once the inventory is finalised, there are proposals to retain and restore the heritage assets by:

q gazetting all 2,506 buildings, sites and monuments in order to control development and retain the image of the assets;

q restoring some 241 buildings — 111 of which are government-owned quarters and administrative buildings — whose authenticity are deemed to be poor but can still be restored;

q conserving and upgrading 14 buildings that have sound architectural integrity;

q implementing heritage guidelines to control untoward developments that can destroy or disrupt the heritage value of a building, monument or site; and,

q establishing financial grants to encourage the preservation of heritage buildings.

Among the items listed on the draft inventory are Southern Chinese eclectic shophouses, Art Deco terraced houses, mosques, Chinese and Hindu temples, churches, mausoleums, gardens and recreational areas, government quarters and monuments.

Others with potential to be listed as heritage sites are traditional Malay villages like Kampung Teluk Bahang, Kampung Batu Uban, Kampung Masjid Teluk Kumbar and Kampung Tanjung, which were established in the 1700s, and Kampung Bagan Jermal, Kampung Kongsi, Balik Pulau and Kampung Kelawai, which were set up in the 1800s.

It is learnt that GTWHI had presented the draft inventory last week during a briefing to housing developers, professional bodies and social interest groups. 


Reproduced from: https://www.nst.com.my/news/2015/09/penang-identifying-heritage-assets


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