JJ Square in Taman Johor Jaya, which houses a food court, shoplots and a multipurpose hall, has been neglected for years.
A feasibility study will be carried out to determine whether the long-neglected JJ Square in Taman Johor Jaya should be refurbished or demolished and rebuilt.
Johor Jaya assemblyman Liow Cai Tung said Johor Baru mayor Datuk Mohd Haffiz Ahmad had instructed the Johor Baru City Council (MBJB) to assess the most cost-effective option following a site visit.
“The mayor spent about 1.5 hours visiting the Johor Jaya public market, JJ Square and bus terminal to see their condition.
“JJ Square, which houses a food court on the ground floor and shoplots and a multipurpose hall on the upper levels, has been neglected for years.
“As a result, the whole building is in a state of disrepair – even the roof has collapsed – and the upper floors are inaccessible,” Liow said in an interview.
She added that the site had also become a hotspot for drug addicts in the past, which worried nearby residents and business owners.
Liow said only a few stalls in the food court were active, while the adjacent Johor Jaya bus terminal was still operational.
“Although there are only three ticketing booths operating at the moment, the bus terminal sees around 40 buses daily, that ply routes to Mersing and Kuala Lumpur.
“The bus operators told me that there are many foreign tourists who take the bus to the eastern part of Johor,” she said, adding that the terminal had the potential to be turned into a transportation hub to serve as an alternative to Larkin Sentral bus terminal in the city.
However, she pointed out that basic amenities such as public toilets must first be repaired, as they are no longer usable, forcing passengers to use those at the food court.
Liow said she had raised issues related to the site with local authorities and in the state assembly repeatedly in the past few years.
“Instead of redeveloping the land into apartments or commercial lots as previously proposed, JJ Square could be revived as a community centre.
She said the existing infrastructure could provide a space for youths, single mothers and start-ups opportunities to operate, while the multipurpose hall could be rented for community events and activities.
She also proposed upgrading the nearby Johor Jaya market, which had a longstanding leaking roof and drainage problems.
“It is time the market received a proper facelift.
“Other towns like Taiping in Perak and Serdang in Selangor have successfully upgraded their markets through public engagement and open design competitions – this is something Johor Jaya can emulate.
“I am grateful to the mayor for visiting the site and market with his team, and for showing interest in rejuvenating the area.
“He also said that he would apply for a budget to fix the market’s roof and electricity system to resolve the frequent power trips.”
In a social media post, Mohd Haffiz said MBJB had identified several premises in Johor Jaya requiring urgent attention, including the bus terminal, market and JJ Square.
“Although there are issues related to ownership, MBJB will carry out preliminary work to repair basic amenities such as toilets and minor facilities and perform clean-ups.
“Discussions with relevant stakeholders will also be held soon to determine the development direction for these premises.” — By YEE XIANG YUN
