THE draft Penang Structure Plan (PSP) 2030, which determines the state’s development policies for the next decade, has been approved by the state planning committee, said Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow today.

PSP 2030 is a review of PSP 2020, which was gazetted in 2007 and will expire next year.

Chow said PSP 2030 will be tabled next at the National Physical Planning Council (NPPC) chaired by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad next month.

“It will be presented to the NPPC for advice and for compliance of requirements.

“The PSP 2030 will then be sent to the state executive council for final approval before it is gazetted,” he told a press conference in Komtar today.

Chow said the plan would then serve as the guideline and main reference for the state in ensuring all policies and proposed projects, especially the high-impact ones, could be implemented on time for the people’s benefit.

PSP 2030 is viewed with some controversy as it incorporates the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) and the Penang South Reclamation (PSR), which local civil groups are against.

Both the PTMP and the PSR, the former’s financial model, are also not approved.

Components of the PTMP are only in various stages of approval; while PSR, which involves reclaiming three man-made islands off the southern Penang Island coast, has yet to get the go ahead from federal authorities.

Several prominent civil rights groups, which took part in a public hearing on the draft PSP 2030 recently, raised objections concerning the inclusions of PTMP and PSR into the plan, among other issues with the proposed development policies.

Chow said five public hearings were held last month and early this month, and were attended by 69 people who had objections against the draft PSP 2030, even though the state received 533 objection forms.

The 69 people were mostly private individuals. Fifteen of them were representatives of civil groups, private companies, and public institutions or departments.

Out of the 533 objection forms received, a majority of the complaints were regarding the PTMP (107), reclamations (133), and agriculture land (93).

Chow said the objections raised were not new issues.

“They have been raised for the past three years, and we take note of the people’s concerns.

“All developments have impact to the environment and social fabric of the state. What is important is having mitigation measures in place to minimise the impacts.”

Citing reclamation projects as an example, he said “nobody will say there is no impact”.

“If we say so, I think they will shoot us immediately. But we recognise the impact.

“This is why federal authorities require environmental, social, heritage, and fisheries impact assessment studies to be done and submitted to them to justify the projects proposed.”

Chow was also asked if he would meet fishermen, who had claimed their livelihoods would suffer if the PSR was implemented, on the state’s Fishermen Transformation Plan.

Local fishermen were one of the most vocal protest groups against the PSR when the reclamation project was mooted.

Although they seem to have mellowed in recent times, leaders of the community had lamented the lack of consultation by the state and clarity on their future and how they could be compensated for their potential loss of income.

Chow said the state would make arrangements to meet with the community in one or two weeks’ time. – March 19, 2019.