Monday, November 16, 2015

Real estate growth picks up speed

By Sharen Kaur

KUALA LUMPUR: REAL estate activities are expected to accelerate in the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER), spurred by the development of industrial areas such as Chuping Valley, Kedah Science and Technology Park (KSTP) and Rubber City, as well as the development of Greater Kamunting.
 
  The NCER, comprising Kedah, Perlis, Penang and northern Perak, is the focus for tourism, commercial agriculture and manufacturing industries.
 
  The Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) is responsible for providing directions and devising policies and strategies in relation to socio-economic development in NCER, which encompasses 21 districts.
 
  Programmes and initiatives undertaken by NCIA are driving developers in the region to ramp up their product launches and drawing in new players with real estate plans.
 
  Currently, there are more than 100 small, medium and big developers in NCER.
 
  They include Sime Darby Bhd, Eco World Development Group Bhd, Sunway Bhd, SP Setia Bhd, Eastern and Oriental Bhd, Hunza Properties Bhd, IJM Land Bhd, Tambun Indah Land Bhd, Ivory Properties Group Bhd, Jesin Group, Emico Holdings Bhd, EUPE Development Bhd, Paramount Corp Bhd, Epic Valley Holdings Group, Encomas Sdn Bhd, Aima Development Sdn Bhd and Nepta Development Sdn Bhd.
 
  "We are not involved in real estate. However, we facilitate the development of industrial areas such as Chuping, KSTP, Rubber City and Kamunting, by building priority infrastructure and attracting investments," NCIA chief executive Datuk Redza Rafiq told Property Times.
 
  Chuping Valley, a planned growth centre for green technology and environment-friendly manufacturing base, has the potential to transform the Perlis economy in the long term and this includes real estate development, he said.
 
  KSTP, meanwhile, combines a modern industrial park and a global research centre as its key components.
 
  "These two developments serve each other's needs by providing complementary services and solutions. KSTP will also have supporting components such as commercial areas, higher learning and training centres, education institutions and open spaces to create a place to live, work and play," Redza said.
 
  The most interesting development will be the Greater Kamunting project spread over 25 years.
 
  Kamunting is located in Taiping, which is famous for having "33 firsts". They include the first jail, golf course, post office, central police station, lake garden, clock tower, rest house, general hospital, railway, market, port, museum, government girl's school, war cemetery and night safari.
 
  Redza said a bulk of these properties and other areas in Kamunting will be rejuvenated.
 
  "The Greater Kamunting project is aimed at transforming and strengthening economic sectors such as tourism, manufacturing and agriculture in Kamunting and Taiping. These developments will be further accelerated with new infrastructure and human capital initiatives.
 
  "We are hoping to have about RM12.96 billion increase in gross domestic product and create 90,263 jobs by 2030. We are collaborating with Japan International Cooperation Agency to produce electrical buses. As a start, there will be one big bus and a few small ones," he said.
 
  Redza added that NCIA is also enhancing the zoo, while next year, it plans to improve the entrapment ecosystem of a fruit industry.

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