Heritage, hazards and hard hats

Back in August 2026, a wooden beam and debris fell from the upper floor of a heritage shophouse in George Town, Penang. Two Sri Lankan tourists who were walking below ended up seriously injured.

The incident generated concern throughout multiple communities. As weather and time chisel away at these old heritage buildings, it is becoming even more important to maintain them, especially given the city’s reliance on them for their tourism appeal.

Veritas Design Group senior associate Chu Jia Jun shares that a building must be economically viable for its owner to consider investing in repairs. “It’s about how to incentivise their owners to rehabilitate the buildings so that they become economically viable and contribute to the vitality of the city,” he says.

“In many cases, however, it’s the local authorities and their by-laws/regulations which prevent this from happening.

“Outdated thinking that requires these buildings to be completely preserved like museum artefacts, instead of being adaptively re-used and retrofitted for new purposes relevant to modern needs, makes any further investment in their repair improbable,” says Chu.

The rules of repair

To get a clearer understanding of the requirements, owners first need to know the protection status of their building. An old shophouse does not automatically mean that the same heritage rules apply, as these depend on its designation, location and the work being proposed.

For buildings designated as heritage sites under Section 42 of the National Heritage Act 2005 (Act 645), the owner has a legal duty to keep them in good repair. If reasonable steps are not being taken to preserve the building, the heritage commissioner may step in and undertake repairs after giving notice and recover the costs from the owner.

Additionally, planning applications involving designated heritage sites require coordination between the commissioner and the local planning authority. Conditions may include following conservation guidelines and retaining specified heritage features.

Now this is where it gets tricky. Owners hoping to give their buildings a new purpose have to establish how much they can change before investing in the work. A new business may need newer facilities but fitting these into an old structure can require more than a simple renovation.

Flexibility is an incentive

Chu opines that to adapt to the needs of modern urban consumers, owners of these shophouses should be granted some form of flexibility and freedom to change the units’ uses and reinterpret the physical design.

Originally built with a small retail area at the ground-floor frontage and a family home above, these shophouses could accommodate galleries, bookstores, clinics, co-working spaces and other uses relevant to today’s communities. However, making room for these activities may require changes to the building itself.

“The primary act of conservation should be the facade as this affects the overall heritage character of the neighbourhood, so some degree of compliance with historical authenticity is warranted.

“But within the buildings, there must be total flexibility to remove walls and even floors if necessary, to install vertical transportation and modern mechanical/electrical equipment such as large air conditioning units, commercial-scale water tanks and service risers,” he says.

These are changes Chu advocates to support adaptive reuse. Whether they can be carried out depend on the building’s condition, heritage significance and relevant approvals.

Fortunately, there have been efforts to ease the process.

In a report published on Nov 2, 2026, Penang local government and town and country planning committee chairman H’ng Mooi Lye said the Penang Island City Council had removed the Heritage Pre-Consultation Building Plan application requirement from Jan 1, 2024.

This is to speed up approvals and reduce bureaucracy in conservation and adaptive reuse projects. He also said that 63 dilapidated buildings remained within the George Town Unesco World Heritage Site, down from 510 identified in 2008.

Pedestrian danger

In walkable cities, pedestrians help keep shophouses going. They stop for a meal, browse the shops and explore the surrounding streets. But when something falls from above, the appeal of a leisurely walk can quickly turn walkers into runners.

Efforts to bring more people into heritage areas need to go hand in hand with keeping the buildings safe. A freshly upgraded street would offer little comfort if the structures beside it were left to deteriorate.

Chu believes pedestrianisation should be considered to improve street activity but only with the collective agreement and participation of building owners.

He acknowledges that affected businesses may experience a short-term reduction in activity before visitors discover the fun of exploring on foot.

Even then, the street still has practical needs. Emergency vehicles require access while deliveries and waste collection need to be accommodated at suitable times.

Before introducing landscaping, lighting, street furniture or new parking arrangements, Chu believes local authorities should speak to shophouse owners first. After all, these changes affect the people who operate there on a daily basis.

An extra helping hand

Flexibility may give owners more options but the costs of repairs remains another consideration. Having permission to transform a shophouse does not necessarily mean that its owner has the funds to do so.

Chu suggests that government agencies could provide incentives for major repairs and adaptive reuse. These could take the form of subsidies, tax incentives or a temporary suspension of quit rent.

Investment in public amenities, transport and power supply could also encourage owners to follow suit and upgrade their own properties.

When the surrounding area becomes more functional and appealing, there may be a stronger reason to put money back into the building.

At the same time, Chu believes features such as five-foot ways, classical ornaments and original sloping tiled roofs should be retained or repaired where possible.

These are part of what gives the neighbourhoods their heritage characters in the first place.

Thinking back, a humble shophouse has long brought homes and businesses together under one roof. So, continuing to give it a purpose that works today could help keep that roof maintained for the years ahead.

For those walking underneath, that would be a very welcome reassurance.