PENANG’S first Urban Transformation Centre (UTC) will be set up in the state’s tallest building, Komtar, by the end of the year, said Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.

Plans to set up the UTC, which houses key government and private services in one centralised location, in Penang were first discussed when Barisan Nasional was still in power, but had failed to materialise.

However, Chow said state investment arm Penang Development Corporation (PDC) – the owner of Komtar – was in the final stages of talks with the Finance Ministry to iron out the rental amount and design for the UTC.

“The agreement has yet to be finalised or signed. Negotiations on the space, rent and renovations are ongoing.

“They are also finalising how many agencies will be providing services at the UTC. So far, we have heard of 15 agencies,” said Chow.

The plan, he said, would include renovating parts of Komtar’s level two and level three for the UTC, which will take up about 50,000 sq ft of space.

Among the agencies expected to move into the UTC, which would be the country’s 23rd, are the Inland Revenue Board, JobsMalaysia, the Health Department, Immigration Department, Royal Malaysian Police, and the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN).

Opening the UTC at Komtar would help revive the old complex, said PDC general manager Mohd Bazid Abd Kahar.

Level three of the building currently houses Penang Island City Council services and the entrance into Komtar tower has offices of the state government and various agencies. However, the iconic Georgetown building becomes “lifeless” after office hours.

PDC deputy general manager Yeoh Lean Huat said this could change after the UTC opens because the agencies will open even at night.

“We are working out ideas on how to make sure the opening of the UTC in Komtar will have spillover effects for the location,” he said. – April 22, 2019.