Mixed reaction to Forest City project

Johor Real Estate Housing and Developers Association (REHDA) branch chairman Hoe Mee Ling(pic) anticipated that it would be

JOHOR BARU: There has been mixed reaction to the multi-billion-ringgit Forest City Project following the securing of approval from the Department of Environment (DOE).

While property consultants welcome the project as an iconic one for the state, other stakeholders such as fishermen have voiced their concerns about how the project would negatively impact their livelihood.

To recap, Forest City entails the reclamation and development of a large area in the Straits of Johor and entails the creation of four man-made islands with a gross development value of RM600bil over 30 years.

Johor Real Estate Housing and Developers Association branch chairman Hoe Mee Ling anticipated that it would be “an iconic development project” in the region.

“The right concept and the right marketing are needed to make it successful but the company undertaking the project must also make sure the environment is well protected,’’ she said.

KGV International Property Consultants (M) Sdn Bhd director Samuel Tan said the Forest City could be “the next Dubai of Asia” attracting the rich and famous from all over the world.

“It is quite exciting to know what in the offing especially on the four-man made islands, so I guess we all have to wait for the launch date,’’ he said.

The majority of fishermen in the Gelang Patah area, however, are no longer going out to the sea as their catch has been dwindling by days with the start of the land reclamation work for the Forest City Project early last year.

Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) Johor Chapter advisor Vincent Chow said the marine life in the area already affected when the work started in February, last year.

But the work was stopped after a few months, as the project by Chinese developer Country Garden Pacificview (CGPV) did not get the relevant approval from the DOE.

“Now, you can imagine how bad the situation is going to be with the project getting the green light from the DOE,’’ he said when contacted yesterday.

Chow said although the multi-billion ringgit project had been scaled down by 610ha to 1,368.05ha from the initial 1,978ha, the environmental impact was still devastating.

He said despite the breeding season for prawns in the area, fishermen only managed to bring back home less than a kg of prawns daily.

“They even borrowed money from the middlemen to buy diesel to go out to the sea but the catch is not enough to pay back for what they borrowed,’’ said Chow.

He said the devastation of sea-grass in the area covering about 40ha would no longer attract fishes, prawns and crabs for spawning adding in the area is not longer suitable for marine life.

Chow claimed the state government and the DOE did not consult the non-governmental organisations and fishermen on the impact of the project.