Big plans for Butterworth

Abdullah pointing at the 40-year-old Harfa Book Store in Lorong Bagan Luar 3.

PLANS are afoot to bring life back to sleepy Butterworth town, a once thriving commercial area in the 70s and 80s.

Think City Sdn Bhd, an urban regeneration agency operating in George Town, sees great potential in assisting the Seberang Prai Municipal Council (MPSP) to revive some of the old trades and activities in this town to make it vibrant.

Murali Ram, the company’s programme director for Butterworth, said the old town of Butterworth was set to boom with the completion of the Ipoh-Butterworth stretch of the electrified double track project (EDTP) by next April.

He said Butterworth would rise as the next metropolitan city, especially after the Federal Government’s RM2.7bil Penang Sentral transport hub project (between Bagan Dalam and Bagan Luar) was completed.

“But, we do not want the transport hub sitting in a dead town. Hence, we wish to help steer Butterworth’s fortunes forward.

“It may take us 10 years to get there but we want to take baby steps from now,” he said.

Murali said Think City, a subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional Berhad, had identified three linked roads – Jalan Bagan Luar, Jalan Jeti Lama and Jalan Telaga Air — as the core area for the revival programme.

 

[ A Little India is fast coming up in the area. A florist is preparing garlands in Jalan Jeti Lama.]

Among the historical sites on those streets are the Old Jetty Road market, Sri Maha Mariamman Temple, ancient well in Jalan Telaga Air, St Mark’s Church in Jalan St Mark, old Butterworth Hospital, Butterworth post office, Butterworth police station, former MPSP headquarters, Padang Bandaran and several commercial shop units.

“We believe the council has set aside about RM12mil to upgrade walkways, plant more trees, improve street lighting, add more landscaping and other infrastructure here.

“Think City has also obtained a RM2mil grant via Yayasan Hasanah, the CSR arm of Khazanah, to assist owners of premises in this area who are keen on being part of this effort to see how they can reutilise their buildings,” he said.

 

[ Murali says Think City has a RM2mil grant to help building owners reutilise their premises.]

For a start, Murali said, a community engagement programme would be held soon to create awareness as well as to get feedback from the locals in the area.

“We want to hear from the people on what they need and would like to see in old Butterworth town. Our grant project will be launched on Dec 15.” 

MPSP president Datuk Maimunah Mohd Sharif said George Town was successfully revived as a living heritage city despite seeing an impact of the Rent Control Act repeal in 1997, Butterworth too had the potential of being restored of its cultural and economic vibrancy.

“Who knows one day Seberang Prai can also find its way to Unesco’s World Heritage List.

“Seberang Prai has a long historical timeline to the human civilisation with the discovery of human skeletals of 5,000 years old in Guar Kepah as documented by Assoc Prof Mokhtar Saidin from Universiti Sains Malaysia,” she said.

Maimunah said more studies needed to be done on the untapped heritage of Seberang Prai, adding that systematic documentation was required to compile the history of the mainland, once known as Province Wellesley. - The Star