MALAYSIAN environmental authorities have approved reclamation works for the Forest City project in Johor, but for a reduced 1,386ha development instead of the initial 1,600ha.
The project had faced resistance from Singapore & Malaysians living near the site, which is close to Tuas, over fears of damage to the ecology of the waterway between the 2 countries.
Country Garden Pacificview (CGPV), the master developer, said in a statement yesterday that the Department of Environment (DoE) granted approval after accepting proposals in a Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment to "minimise or mitigate environmental impacts through integrated and workable solutions".
related: Housing glut worries over Johor's mega projects
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Singapore presses Malaysia on Johor Strait reclamation projects
The Causeway from Singapore to Johor Bharu. TODAY file foto
Minister for the Environment & Water Resources Dr Vivian Balakrishnan emphasised Singapore’s concerns over Malaysia’s land reclamation projects in the Straits of Johor, during the 27th Annual Exchange of Visits between the environment ministries of Malaysia and Singapore.
Dr Balakishnan led a delegation to Kuala Lumpur today (Nov 25) and met with Malaysia’s Deputy Minister of Natural Resources & Environment Dr James Dawos Mamit in Kuala Lumpur.
At the meeting, Dr Balakrishnan reiterated Singapore’s request for such reclamation works to be suspended until Singapore has received and studied all the relevant information from Malaysia, including the Environmental Impact Assessments, and established that there would be no transboundary impact on Singapore from these projects.
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Johor reclamation works begin despite concerns
2 massive reclamation projects are under way in the Johor Strait despite the lack of environmental assessment reports & a move by Singapore asking about the impact of the development.
According to a report by news website The Malaysian Insider yesterday, the reclamation has also raised concerns over how it will affect the livelihoods of fishermen, as well as ships using the nearby Port of Tanjung Pelepas.
One of the projects is a 2,000ha man-made island - nearly 3 times the size of Ang Mo Kio estate - that will feature luxury homes and will be completed in 30 yrs' time.
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Controversial Johor project to be scaled down, says report
Controversial Johor project to be scaled down, says report
The RM600 billion mixed-development Forest City project in Johor will be scaled down by 30% following the green light by the Department of Environment (DOE) to the developer, The Star reported today.
Initially planned to cover 1,978 ha, the project, which was suspended for about six months over environmental concerns, has been scaled down by about 610 ha. The new site reportedly covers about 1,368 ha.
DOE approved the detailed environmental impact assessment (DEIA) on January 9.
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Johor reclamation at Tanjong Piai gets go ahead
More massive reclamation to be expected in West Johor Straits as Tanjong Piai reclamation project gets approval to go ahead. This is in addition to the massive Forest City reclamation already going on there. From the Tanjung Piai Integrated Petroleum and Petrochemical Hub website, the plan is to create the following:
- A 'man-made' island
- Total size of 3,485 acres
- Phase 1 : 1,000 acres & Phase 2 : 1,000 acres.
- Phase 3 & 4 : 1,485 acres
- Each phase will take about 5 years to complete
- Expected overall completion - 20 years
Reclamation works for Phase 1 began in December last year after the relevant approvals were secured, and there has been formation of land covering more than 100 acres at the project to date.
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Malaysia: Benalec’s entire Tg Piai reclamation project gets DOE approval
Benalec Holdings Bhd has received the green light from the Department of Environment (DOE) for all three phases of its Tanjung Piai Integrated Petroleum and Petrochemical Hub and Maritime Industrial Park (TPMIP) project in Johor.
The marine construction firm said on Thursday that the Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) study submitted by 70% owned subsidiary Spektrum Kukuh and Johor State Secretary Inc for Phases 2 and 3 got the nod on Friday last week.
In a filing with Bursa Malaysia, the company said this was for the balance area of 2,407 acres of the total reclamation area of 3,487 acres. The go-ahead for Phase 1 of the project had been received in January 2015.
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Tanjung Piai Maritime Industrial Park
THE MOST SOUTH-WESTERN TIP OF THE ASIAN CONTINENT - Approximately 3,485 acres of land will be reclaimed off the coast of Tanjung Piai and will form a man-made island to be sited off the south-western coast of Johor, Malaysia. Strategically located at the confluence of the Malacca Straits, Singapore Straits and Johor Straits, Tanjung Piai Maritime Industrial Park is well placed to capture value-added activities from one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, including the movement of oil tankers equaling over a quarter of the global oil trade. Tanjung Piai Maritime Industrial Park lies at the mouth of the Pulai River just south of Port of Tanjung Pelepas, the second largest container port in Malaysia and the Tanjung Bin Area, site of a 2100 MW coal fired power station.
EXTREME PROXIMITY TO SINGAPORE - The site also lies about 10-15 km away from the Tuas-Jurong Industrial Estate and Jurong Island in Singapore. Additionally, the site is some 12km from the planned new megaport at Tuas being developed in Singapore to handle some 65 million TEUs upon completion of all of its 4 phases. The Tuas and Jurong industrial areas are home to many industrial plants and logistics facilities, including shipbuilding, offshore marine base, machinery manufacturing and the Jurong Port, an important port for handling bulk and general cargo. Jurong Island, being the largest fuel bunkering hub in the maritime industry, is one of the most important refining and petrochemical hubs in the world.
NATURAL DEEP WATER AND VAST SEA FRONTING LAND - Besides its geographical strengths, Tanjung Piai Maritime Industrial Park boasts natural deep water between 24 to 30 meters which borders the site, enabling it to handle Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCC), Ultra Large Crude Carriers (ULCC) and even ValeMax Bulk Carriers with minimal capital and maintenance dredging. Direct access to the deep water of Malacca Straits can be achieved with the construction of a short jetty trestle just approximately 700 meters. The large anchorage areas surrounding the site also have capacity for up to 1,000 vessels. Upon completion of reclamation of this man-made island, the site will create vast land for future expansion and a total of 7-kilometer stretch of valuable seafront land which is able to accommodate up to 41 berths from the range of 2,000 DWT to 350,000 DWT. With Indonesia’s Sumatra Island acting as a natural breakwater to Tanjung Piai Maritime Industrial Park, it is a naturally sheltered harbour free from adverse weather conditions.
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“Singapore-Lite” To Be Built In Johor With Middle Eastern Money
Although our economy may not be in the best place right now, many people still look up to Singapore’s success, so much so that they’ve made it their long-term aspiration to replicate our city.
In fact, copycat cities may be closer than we think. In Johor, Malaysia, Medini Iskandar Malaysia Sdn Bhd has been partnering with government-linked companies and other investors in order to create Malaysia’s largest single urban development, known as the Medini Project — touted as “Singapore-lite”.
Not only does this have much potential, it’s also well-backed by massive Middle Eastern investors like Kuwait Finance House and Mubadala from Abu Dhabi, according to Forbes.
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Building A City From Scratch: How Middle East Money Is Creating A New City In Malaysia
Ten years ago, Imran Markar was using a GPS device to navigate his way around a patch of land at the southern tip of peninsula Malaysia, just across the narrow Straits of Johor from Singapore. The area had once been used to grow oil palms, but the plantations had gone to seed and it took a lively imagination to believe that much else would thrive.
“When I first came to Johor in March 2007 it was abandoned palm oil estates,” he says. “The trees had died. It was a swamp, it was water-logged. I remember being cautioned not to step out of the car because there were snakes. There wasn't a road, not even a pathway.”
Today, the principal at Dubai-based United World Infrastructure (UWI) is able to drive around the same land on newly-laid roads that criss-cross a 2,300 acre, partially-completed building site, with dozens of cranes, apartments and office blocks rising up from the ground. The new city, named Medini, is part of the mega-development of Johor state being directed by the government’s Iskandar Regional Development Authority.
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Cut-Price Luxury Homes Fuel Singapore Tri-Nation Sprawl
Darren Chin gave up a 15-minute train journey to his office in Singapore for a two-hour drive with a stop at passport control. The reason: By commuting from Malaysia, he can afford his own two-story home and car.
“It’s worth it,” said the Malaysian financial adviser, who leaves his house before 6:45 a.m. to get to his job at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. on time. “I’m saving on rent and I’m paying for my own house.”
Chin is part of the expansion of Southeast Asia’s richest city across its borders as residents and companies seek property, labor and amenities, often at half the cost or less. The result is a three-nation urban complex with a population bigger than London and an economy that would rank as one of the fastest-growing in the region.
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Formula One Joins Legoland in Plan to Remake Malaysia’s South
Robert Pick, the former deputy head of the U.K.’s Marlborough College, recalls the day in 2009 when he stood atop a hill at the southern tip of Malaysia and scanned an endless sea of green palm oil trees. He strained to see the spot among the massive plantations where the private boarding school would build its first overseas branch three years later, Bloomberg Markets magazine will report in its September issue.
“It was a leap of faith,” says Pick, who’s now the founding master of Marlborough College Malaysia, in his new office with a floor-to-ceiling window and a view of vast cricket and rugby fields. “You wouldn’t have believed then what it is now.”
Today, the 90-acre campus boasts more than 30 low-rise buildings divided by green lawns and tennis courts and is traversed by 376 students.
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Medini: Catalyst to the Pulse of Iskandar Malaysia
Incorporated in 2008, Medini Iskandar Malaysia Sdn Bhd (MIMSB) initiates and support catalytic developments of the 2,230 acres of land identified as Medini Iskandar Malaysia (Medini). MIMSB takes on the responsibility to creatively innovate aspects of Medini with the latest, integrated, connected and smart city initiatives.
As an integrated and comprehensive masterplanner for Medini, MIMSB has also made an impact as a developer, by building iconic developments that contribute to the growth of Medini. MIMSB has been working synonymously with other renowned developers such as UMLand, Sunway Iskandar, E&O, WCT, Mah Sing and many others, and this puts Medini on the map as the new destination in the region.
Aspiring to be the Central Business District of Iskandar Puteri, Johor, MIMSB works very closely with investment and government organisations to make Medini the Icon of City Living for the Future.
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Medini Iskandar Malaysia - Smart City in the Making
The story of Iskandar Malaysia (IM) has gone through several iterations since its inception in 2006. Conceived as a special economic zone within the southernmost state of Johor in Malaysia, IM stretches across an area of 547,832 acres (2,217 sq km) or three times the size of Singapore.
Within IM are five zones, with Iskandar Puteri (formerly Nusajaya) being the administrative center earmarked as one of the investment destinations for both local and foreign investors—with catalytic projects such as LEGOLAND® Malaysia Resort launched in 2012 and Gleneagles Medini Hospital that was opened last year.
The sheer size of the economic zone has created more room for other catalytic developments. Rising to the challenge is United Malayan Land Berhad (UMLand), one of Medini Iskandar Malaysia (Medini)’s key developers, which will be rejuvenating an existing lake and promoting lakeside living.
related:
Medini Iskandar Malaysia—Inclusive Smart City
From Master Planner to City Builder
The Compass: Upcoming Commercial Hub
Incentives for Investors
Coming Up: Medini Lakeside
The Next Lap
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Medini Iskandar Malaysia
Medini Iskandar is the flagship development positioned as the new urban township of Iskandar Malaysia. Spanning an area of 9.3 sq km (2,230 acres), Medini Iskandar Malaysia (Medini Iskandar) is the flagship development positioned as the new urban township of Iskandar Malaysia.
Fast Facts:
- International Mixed-used Development
- 96 million sq.ft./2,230 acres in Nusajaya.
- The maximum permitted Gross Floor area (GFA) of 182 million sq.ft.
- Expected Gross Development Value(GDV) of US$20 billion over 15-20 years. 20% to be developed by 2014 with a targeted population of 50, 000
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Medini Iskandar Malaysia
Medini Iskandar Malaysia (Medini) located within Iskandar Puteri is marked as Flagship Zone B under the Iskandar Malaysia development blueprint. This economic development region is situated in the state of Johor, Malaysia.
Medini is a 2,300 acres (9.3 km2) urban township development planned for a population of 450,000 by 2030. Medini is Malaysia’s largest single urban development to date and will become the smart and connected Central Business District of Iskandar Puteri. The gross development value of Medini stands at US$20 billion spanning 15 to 20 years. Signature developments in Medini include Mall of Medini and LEGOLAND®.Malaysia Resort (theme park), which is designed to provide activities for families and houses over 70 rides.
The name Medini comes from the ancient name of the southern tip of Peninsular Malaysia, Ujong Medini.
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Controversial Johor Strait land reclamation project Forest City gets the go-ahead
Construction & reclamation for a luxury housing project to be built on a man-made island in the Johor Strait will continue, with Malaysia's Department of Environment (DoE) giving the developer the go-ahead.
Work on the project off Tuas had been suspended from last June as concerns about its environmental impact were raised on both sides of the border. Since then, all parties have been waiting for a final verdict from the DoE.
Singapore conveyed its concerns about the project on a number of occasions to the Malaysian government, asking for more information on the reclamation & construction works.
Forest City developer presses ahead amid reclamation issues
The mega Forest City project off Johor Baru seems to be going full steam ahead despite ongoing controversy over its reclamation plans & even as other developers have either shelved scheduled project launches or dropped them altogether.
Forest City's China developer Country Garden has already started work on one of the 4 islands that will eventually comprise the largest mixed development in Johor Baru. The project has an estimated value of $58.3 billion and is slated to be completed in phases over the next 2 decades.
Some reclamation of the Johor Strait has started, where the project will be connected to Johor via a 2-lane road. Work on at least one other island is under way as well.
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Medini Iskandar
Forest City
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Embracing, Leaning & Tilting towards China
Mega reclamation project off Johor
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