Owners who renovate homes without approval to be fined

THE Sepang Municipal Council (MPSepang) will go after owners who have renovated their flats or houses extensively without getting the authority’s approval.
Council president Mohd Sayuthi Bakar said those who had renovated their homes without council permission were now given two months to rectify the situation or face heavy fines.
He said the problem was especially worrying in the case of flats where those living on the ground floor renovated their units.
“There is no provision in the council’s by-laws to allow flat dwellers to carry out renovations. They must immediately demolish the illegal structures or face 10 times the cost of the extension plan,’’ said Mohd Sayuthi at the full council board meeting on Thursday.
He said house owners who had carried out renovations without council approval would also be fined.
“We will carry out enforcement action from January onwards,’’ he added.
He said most of the flat dwellers were in Putra Perdana.
Councillor Lau Weng Chan (Kota Warisan) said since there was an existing grading system for food outlets, similar guidelines should also be imposed on those offering home delivery in light of many complaints and possible health risks.
“We do not know how this food is being prepared, so we can apply the existing guidelines on those offering such services,’’ he Lau.
The council president said it was not necessary as the number of people offering such services was small.

source: TheStar

Southern Acids to sell land near Kota Kemuning

SOUTHERN Acids (M) Bhd is looking at selling a 261ha land near Kota Kemuning in Shah Alam, Selangor, to finance its oil palm landbank expansion in Indonesia."We are looking to unlock the value of this freehold land. Negotiations have started and we are not short of suitors," chairman Tan Sri Low Boon Eng told reporters after its shareholders' meeting in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, yesterday.Low added that the company is not in a hurry to conclude the land sale. After all, it has cash reserves of more than RM70 million and plans to increase its landbank in Indonesia.

source: BTimes

Plenitude to see RM400m in projects by FY2011

KUALA LUMPUR: Property developer Plenitude Bhd planned to launch seven projects — valued at about RM400 million in total — in its financial year ending June 30, 2011 (FY2011).Speaking to a press conference on Thursday, Oct 28, chairman Elsie Chua said the launches were located at Taman Desa Tebrau in Johor, Taman Putra Prima in Selangor, Bandar Perdana and Lot 88 Perdana Heights in Sungai Petani. They are a mix of residential and commercial developments of landed and high-rise properties.However, Chua declined to reveal the exact launching date."Everybody said the market is good, and there are many purchasers. It is a good sign, but many people forecast that 2012/2013 won't be a good period because the downturn will come again. This coming year is picking up, and it has been good since the beginning of this year," she added.Plenitude currently has projects in Johor Bahru, Puchong, Sg Petani and Kuala Lumpur, with main developments being affordable houses, which pricing benchmark varies depending on locations.Over the next two years, the developer will roll out the construction of a new township project in Balik Pulau in Penang, on a 52.63-acre freehold plot it recently acquired for RM40.12 million. As the company's first township in Penang, the mixed development has a gross development value of RM230 million and will comprise terrace houses, superlink homes and a neighbourhood commercial centre.The company has an annual earnings and net profit growth target of 5% to 10%, which Chua said has been the trend for the past 10 years. She expects FY2011 to see similar growth, sustained by its ongoing township developments. Its dividend policy is 20% to 25% of its net profit.Pkenitude's net cash position now stands at RM325 million, and it is looking to acquire more landbanks in Klang Valley for both township and niche developments. Currently, the developer has a landbank of 1,800 acres, which can last for at least 10 years.Plenitude has also been looking for overseas projects in countries like Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos but nothing is concrete.

source: The Edge Malaysia

Ground Breaking Ceremony - Calisa Residences@Taman Mas

My Mydin @ Tasik Prima?

Puchong bus hub ready for residents

MODERN LOOK: The new bus hub at Taman Puchong Utama can accommodate up to five buses at one time

PUCHONG: After six months, residents in Puchong Utama will finally be able to enjoy a more comfortable and safe bus stop by early next month.
The bus hub, complete with a station master office, a sheltered waiting area, public phones and stalls will be able to accommodate up to five buses at any one time.
Construction commenced in February and was expected to be completed by August, but was delayed for a few months. Despite the problems, Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd was able to complete the project.
Making cleanliness and safety a top priority, Prasarana provided some 10 rubbish bins and built safety dividers on both sides of the waiting area. A comfortable rest area for bus drivers was also incorporated.
In June, The Malay Mail had reported the inconvenience and troubles faced by residents of Puchong Utama due to the lack of this basic amenity in the area. The previous make-shift bus stop had used a canopy which barely served as shelter against sun and rain while the area itself was inconveniently located across a wide drain, requiring commuters to jump across whenever a bus arrived.
A resident and regular commuter, Imran Rashid, 23, said: "I am glad there will finally be a proper and safe bus stop for residents to use, especially school-going children.
"I hope residents will make proper use of the new bus hub and help maintain its cleanliness."
A stall-owner at the old bus stop, Amir Hamzah, 34, said: "I am happy there is also a place for us to do business at the new bus hub, which is bigger and more comfortable.
"Despite the delay, I am thankful to Prasarana. This shows the company is not only interested in making money, but have their customer's best interests at heart."
A Prasarana spokesman told The Paper That Cares: "This bus hub is another initiative from Prasarana to provide for the the comfort and safety of the public.
"In our effort to improve service efficiency, RapidKL welcomes any feedback from the public by contacting our helpline at 03-7885 2585 which operates from 7.00am to 8.30pm (Mon-Fri) and 8.30am to 5.30pm (Sat-Sun). Feedback can also be e-mailed to suggest@rapidkl.com.my or follow us on twitter@MYrapidKL."

source: http://www.mmail.com.my

Residents want traffic counter at Puchong Jaya police station to be re-opened

MANY Puchong residents who wanted to pay their traffic summonses at the Puchong Jaya police station recently were caught by surprise when they were informed that they could no longer do so.
The residents were taken aback to see a notice stating that the traffic summons counter had been relocated to the USJ 8 police station in Subang Jaya effective Oct 6.
Inconvenient: Wong pointing to the notice stating that the traffic summons counter at the Puchong Jaya police station had been relocated.

Puchong Jaya resident Ng Lip Sin, wanted to settle her traffic summons at the police station a few days ago but was informed that she had to go all the way to USJ 8
“The summons stated that I can pay at the nearest traffic police counter, but I didn’t know it can’t be paid here. It will be very troublesome for me as I have no idea where the USJ8 police station is,” she said.
Puchong resident Liew Yew Fook said many Puchong folk were caught unaware as they have been regularly carrying out their summons payment and checks at the Puchong Jaya police station.
“I myself only found out about this move on Tuesday, but I have been doing my transactions here for years,” said Liew who is also the Puchong MCA division secretary.
Puchong MCA division chairman Wong Hock Aun said there had been numerous complaints and confusion on the closure of traffic police counters at the Puchong Jaya and Serdang police stations, after the split of the Subang Jaya police district into two.
“We would like to appeal to Bukit Aman and the Selangor CPO to reopen the traffic summons counter at the Puchong Jaya and Serdang police stations for the convenience of Puchong residents,” he said.
“The closure of the traffic summons counters is causing a lot of inconvenience, as we used to even have the option of paying our traffic police summonses at The Mines and IOI shopping malls at one time, and there is no direct public transport service from Puchong Jaya to USJ 8.”
While offenders have the option of settling their summonses online, Wong said the online payment option was not feasible for those who were not Internet-savvy, like senior citizens.
“We would also like to suggest that the police allow traffic summonses to be paid at post offices and for the operating hours of traffic police counters to be extended to night-time for the convenience of the working crowd,” he said.

source: TheStar

Challenging convention

Red-tiled pointed roofs and rectangular glass shutter windows were a common sight for terrace houses. But who says that houses should be just the way they are, the way they have always been? Why not make the roofs flat? Why not use floor-to-ceiling glass windows? This is exactly what Kiat Tung from T&T Architect Associates did with Taman Putra Prima Phase 8A by Plenitude Berhad.
With approximately 14 years of experience in the architectural and design industry, Tung, 36, describes his style as green contemporary, featuring buildings that are contemporary, simple, clean yet environmentally friendly. “I believe that architecture style and design moves and changes with time. Therefore I prefer something simple and nice as these types of look seldom fade with time.”
“I like to refer to works from WOHA; a Singapore-based multi-disciplinary design firm led by directors Wong Mun Summ and Richard Hassell. They are well-known for their innovative and sustainable high-rise apartments namely Newton Suites in Singapore and The Met in Bangkok,” says Tung.
A graduate of University of New South Wales, Tung believes that to practice architecture, one must really have the passion for it because it’s a very tough profession. Together with his two partners, Yardly Cheng and Edwin Teo, he established T&T Architect Associates in 2002. With a workforce of 20 staff, his firm has successfully undertaken many designs for high-end residential projects by major property developers.

Trust and understanding
“Plenitude gave us our first project, that is Phase 3B, with a total of 300 units of terrace houses. We are indebted to Plenitude (laughs). They gave us an opportunity and we grew from there,” explains Tung.
Plenitude Berhad director Zukarnine Shah adds, “We always believe in having a mutual understanding with the designer. We have an idea of what we want but we never stop the architect from exploring and putting in new ideas. We are willing to listen as we want to benefit together with Kiat Tung’s new ideas and designs.”
When asked about the whole process of this project, Tung replies, “To be honest, this project was quite smooth. The brief from the developer was simple. They gave me the general guideline and idea of what they want – from the built-up and number of rooms to the selling price, but not so much on interior design.”

Design and concept of Taman Putra Prima

Upon entering the showhouse, one is greeted by its spaciousness, thanks in part to the 13ft high ceiling. Elaborating on his approach to design, Tung says, “Basically, we wanted to create a new trend for terrace houses that would stand out; something that is unlike any other terrace houses. For Taman Putra Prima, the concept is simple – stylish contemporary design yet sustainable. We have big glass windows to allow daylight to illuminate the interior but we have the screens to shade it. With natural lightings, the homeowners can choose not to turn on the lights during the day, hence saving electricity and money."
Playing with space: The unique design, high ceilings and split levels are what makes this development different
“In terms of architecture, we played with space. We pushed up the master bedroom so it sits at the top of the building. This gives the living room a 13ft high ceiling, making it look spacious. For corner lots, we designed a lanai – a corner to sit back and relax. For the exterior, you can see that the roof is not like the common ones we see – all with pointed roofs. We wanted to go for the modern look, therefore we made the roofs flat.
“It is these simple things that give the house its amazing quality; truly different from the rest,” says Tung.
For Tung, his favourite part of the house is the master bedroom. “To maximise space, I built the master bedroom on the top of the living room. Interior wise, the house looks as if it’s a two-and-a-half storey, but in actual fact it’s just two storeys. I like the fact that the master bedroom is on its own – giving owners their well-deserved privacy,” he shares.
As for Zukarnine, he stresses on the importance of always improving and learning as they grow as a developer. “The underlying concept of this whole development is still the same as what we envisioned since our first phase; a conducive living and value-for-money development in terms of space. We are always receptive to the feedback and comments of our previous purchasers. However, the element of design has improved as we go along.
“The strong features that I particularly like are the high ceilings, split levels, the clever use of lightings, and the unique design and usage of space.”

A progressive firm

Apart from architecture and interior consultancy work, Tung and his team has also worked on master planning of townships, but he has not done many of those. When asked for design tips and ideas for homeowners, Tung shares, “Well, ideas are easily accessible these days. One can easily get ideas from the Internet and magazines. If you think quality design costs a lot, you are wrong. It’s not about expensive things, but rather using a mix and match of the right material.
For me, I like the idea of dressing up a casual area with an accent piece; something unique and iconic. It gives that added twist of sophistication to the design.”

source: TheStar

Another complaint to MPSepang

Convenience store soon to be opened @ Taman Tasik Prima

Hailstorm @ Taman Putra Prima

8 Oct 2010 @ Taman Putra Prima

Contra-flow on LDP to be permanent

FOLLOWING the effectiveness of the contra-flow system that has helped alleviate the evening gridlock at the Damansara-Puchong Highway (LDP), its concessionaire, Litrak, is considering making it a permanent fixture.
Litrak CEO Sazally Saidi said during the company’s Hari Raya Open House yesterday that the Litrak board of directors had approved the proposal.
“Right now, we are taking away one lane of the northbound traffic from 4.30pm to 8.30pm on weekdays for motorists going towards Puchong Jaya from the Petaling Jaya Selatan toll (or better known as Sunway toll).
“When the contra-flow is implemented permanently, we will compensate the northbound traffic by providing an extra lane at the flyover from IOI Mall in Bandar Puchong Jaya heading towards the toll plaza,” he said.

Work is expected to start early next year.
Sazally also added that Litrak was discussing with the federal government on ways to ease the congestion on the Federal Highway, as the traffic always piled back to LDP during the morning rush hour.
“Even though the Federal Highway does not come under our responsibility, we are identifying the problematic areas along the highway.
“We are exploring possible options and one of it is widening the Federal Highway to increase its capacity,” he said.
Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) director-general Datuk Ismail Md Salleh, who was also present at the function, said Litrak and the Public Works Department under the Works Ministry started the discussion last year.
“The area along the highway has many factories and shopping malls.
“It will be costly so we have to make sure that whatever we want to do will solve the problem,” he said.
During the annual function attended by 2,000 guests, Litrak presented hampers and duit raya worth RM100 each to 25 senior citizens from the Orphans, Single Mothers and Senior Citizen Association in Kampung Medan.

source: thestar.com.my