GEORGE TOWN, Feb 23 — Penang will roll out 10 new heritage restoration and upgrading projects, including work on the iconic Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower and Town Hall, after receiving RM4.3 million in funding from the National Heritage Department.
The Penang Island City Council (MBPP) will undertake nine of the projects at a total cost of RM3.8 million, while George Town World Heritage Incorporated (GTWHI) will implement one project with the remaining RM500,000.
MBPP Mayor Datuk A. Rajendran said the allocation will allow the city council to restore key heritage buildings while also improving public spaces within the Unesco World Heritage site.
“These projects will ensure George Town continues to be a heritage city where its built heritage is protected while also benefiting the social economy of residents,” he said at the cheque presentation ceremony today.
Other MBPP projects include the restoration of the Syed Al-Atas Mansion and upgrading public spaces like Green Hall Square and the backlanes of Carnavon Street and Malay Street.
Separately, GTWHI will use its funding to document and create measured drawings of about 40 Category II heritage buildings within the Unesco site.
GTWHI general manager Dr Ang Ming Chee explained this is a crucial preservation effort.
“This project is to record and document about 40 of these buildings with measured drawings by young architects so that if anything were to happen to the buildings, we have a record for reconstruction,,” she said.
State Secretary Datuk Rosli Isa reminded both agencies that the projects must be completed within two years and that progress reports must be submitted monthly to the National Heritage Department.
Since George Town’s Unesco inscription in 2008, MBPP has allocated approximately RM50 million towards various restoration and maintenance projects in the heritage site.
Malay Mail – Malaysia
