Poll to find name for Penang’s new, intelligent, satellite township

GEORGE TOWN (Sept 15): The people will have a say in the naming of Penang’s new, intelligent, satellite township on mainland Seberang Perai.

The township is in Batu Kawan, in the southern Seberang Perai district, chief minister Lim Guan Eng said yesterday.

He said state investment arm Penang Development Corporation (PDC), which owns the land in Batu Kawan, was in the process of demarcating the areas to be included in the new township.

"We expect it will take about a month for PDC to determine the areas for the new township. Once that is done, we will start an online poll so that the people can give their input on what we should name it.

"The online poll may be for two months or even six months. We will make the announcements in due time," he told reporters after the groundbreaking of the Aspen Vision City project in Batu Kawan this morning.

Lim had recently said that there was a need for a name for the new township, which was transforming the old, quiet town of Batu Kawan. The plan had earlier caused some confusion and had met with the disapproval of researchers and historians interviewed in Chinese newspapers.

Lim said the new name would not replace the old name Batu Kawan, as the area itself would still remain apart of the new development.

"Batu Kawan will still be here as a part of this larger satellite township, which we envision will grow into a metropolis in the future," he said, stressing that the area, where Fortune 500 companies were present, remained important to Penang's economy.

While the actual boundaries of the new township are yet to be disclosed, Lim had previously said that the southern Seberang Perai district, which is also seeing new developments, could be included in the plan.

Aspen City Vision, a mixed development with a gross value of RM8 billion, is also expected to change the landscape of Batu Kawan.

The project is a joint venture between the Malaysian Aspen Group and Ikano Pte Ltd, which owns the Ikea franchise in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. The partnership is also bringing the famous Swedish furniture retailer to Penang.

IKEA in Batu Kawan will be the brand's first outlet in the northern region. The store is expected to be ready in 2018, along with Aspen Vision City's phase one, Vervea, the biggest gated and guarded commercial precinct in northern Malaysia.

Aspen Group chief executive officer Datuk M. Murly said the project would change the landscape of Batu Kawan and beyond, as neighbouring areas would also benefit from the new developments.