BMSPA 2021: The pride and joy of the community - Hill Park @ Bukit Banyan

EdgeProp-ILAM Malaysia’s Sustainable Landscape Awards 2021—Landscape Planning (Gold)

Hill Park @ Bukit Banyan

Nestled within the undulating verdant hills of Paramount Property’s 520-acre Bukit Banyan township in Sungai Petani, Kedah is a 25-acre recreational park known as Hill Park @ Bukit Banyan.

The park, which won a Gold at the EdgeProp-ILAM Malaysia’s Sustainable Landscape Awards 2021 in the Landscape Planning category at EdgeProp Malaysia’s Best Managed & Sustainable Property Awards 2021, is one of today’s most popular public parks not just in Sungai Petani but in the northern region. Located 70m above sea level, it also houses the highest playground in Kedah.

Named after the hardy Banyan tree, this development with its generous greenery has been created to meet the community’s need for a healthy living environment.

Hence, the developer has envisioned Hill Park to be a space for the community “to play, exercise, enjoy the sunrise, take photographs, catch butterflies, and do some bird-watching”, Paramount Property (Northern Region) CEO Ooi Hun Peng tells EdgeProp.my.

 “We see this hill park as a place where people from all walks of life can come together and connect with nature,” he says, adding that RM3 million had been spent to create the hill park.

Different parts of the township are all linked to the forest-like hill park, which also boasts a Lakeside Garden at its foothill.

Paramount Property is no stranger to Sungai Petani, having developed its first township there, Taman Patani Jaya, over four decades ago. Bukit Banyan is Paramount’s third township in Kedah, which currently offers about 5,000 affordably-priced landed homes within eight gated-and-guarded precincts; and a 13-acre commercial centre. In late 2020, the developer acquired 137 acres of land for the expansion of the township.

The landscaping came first

Notably, in this development, the green spaces and landscaping were done before the construction of the homes. Exceeding the local council’s minimum requirement of 10% green spaces in a project, Bukit Banyan boasts 18.42%, with Hill Park constituting 4.7% of that.

“Work on the hill park began in Sept 2013 and was completed some two-and-a-half years thereafter, prior to the official launch of the Bukit Banyan township in Nov 2016,” says Ooi.

As homeowners began to move in, they were able to immediately enjoy the already matured landscaped environment of the township.

The Sungai Petani population also benefits from Hill Park as it is open to the public. “All the facilities are free for all, as well as a 100-bay car park for non-residents,” Ooi shares.

Myriad facilities are offered within Hill Park’s eight themed gardensincluding rock-climbing walls, walking and jogging track, exercise stations, qi garden, maze walk, rope climbing, gazebos and even a tree-house made from repurposed Chengal hardwood.

“The wood came from the old Fung Keong shoe factory in Klang, Selangor – the current site of our Berkeley  Uptown development,” says Ooi. 

Various activities regularly held on the park grounds include line dancing, Zumba classes, tai chi and qi gong. Keeping the elderly in mind, the latter two are held mid-way up the hill at the qi garden which is conveniently equipped with toilets.

The park is most busy during sunrise and sunset, where the wall-climbing section and the giant maze are especially popular with kids.

“You can wake up at 6.30am, take a five-minute jog up the hill to enjoy the sunrise, then head home for breakfast before going to work,” Ooi enthuses.

The park is one of the reasons Bukit Banyan is popular among homebuyers in Sungai Petani. According to Ooi, the homes in Bukit Banyan have seen significant appreciation in value. The double-storey terraced homes launched in 2012 at RM270,000 are today priced around RM400,000.

Flora and fauna-friendly

The original landscape of Hill Park has been well-integrated into the site as many existing trees in the area such as Banyan and Pulai trees have been transplanted at the foot of Hill Park. Boulders excavated from the site have been used to create the bases for benches and planter boxes.

After a flat plateau was formed, soil rejuvenation was conducted for the regeneration of vegetation while a drainage system was incorporated to prevent soil erosion. Vegetation, including trees and shrubs, were chosen based on their practicality, ease of maintenance and cost-effectiveness to minimise horticultural maintenance costs.

Various fruit trees such as mango, soursop, rambutan and Musang King durian are planted at the Orchard Park garden mainly for educational purposes. The most recent enhancement are some 200 sakura trees.

Birds have been flocking to the lush greenwood too. Bukit Banyan resident and amateur birder Dr Vijay Kumar MK has compiled and documented over 60 species of fowl in the area into a field guide called “The Birds of Bukit Banyan”.

Long-term maintenance

The local council Majlis Perbandaran Sungai Petani takes care of the grass-cutting while the developer maintains the shrubs and trees as well as the play facilities in Bukit Banyan.To reduce energy costs, LED lights with timers are used in public areas and solar power lights the main Bukit Banyan signage.

“We had an understanding with the council to hand over Hill Park a year after its launch. However, since the development of Bukit Banyan is expected to carry on until 2027, we will continue to take responsibility for part of the maintenance, with the view to fully hand over Hill Park once the entire township is completed,” explains Ooi.

Check out the microsite for Edgeprop’s Best Managed & Sustainable Property Awards 2021 here

This story first appeared in the EdgeProp.my E-weekly on April 9, 2021. You can access back issues here.

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