KOTA KINABALU: The master plan for the Tanjung Aru Eco Development (TAED) project will be revised to be more people-centric.
TAED chief executive officer Datuk Ismail Abdullah told members of the Association of Consulting Engineers Malaysia (ACEM) Sabah during a project update recently that the revised master plan is expected to obtain approval in the third quarter of 2023.
Among the design parameters being considered, Ismail said, were development cells and parcels, heritage and nature assets as well as the relocation of schools and institutions.
He said access and circulation, corridors for utilities and easements, drainage, flood and pollution mitigation measures and green infrastructure were also on the development agenda.
“TAED believes that the newly revised master plan will be more citizen-centric which includes more open and public spaces,” he said during the briefing at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) here on Wednesday (Aug 10).
“(There will be) no reclamation, no canal and the public will have full access to the beach. The existing 2km beachfront will remain and be approximately 2.5km long,” he added.
The 12-member ACEM Sabah delegation was led by its Sabah branch chairman Razalie Sindong.
Razalie said that once the social impact study was completed, the TAED had outlined that it would arrange to engage with the public as well as technical agencies over the revised master plan before it is submitted for approval.
“ACEM Sabah has offered a close-door engagement with TAED in giving technical input on the revised master plan before it is submitted for approval and to collaborate with TAED in providing talks on technical matters during public engagement events,” he said.
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor had told the state assembly last December that the government will redevelop the coastal development project with a new concept and master plan.
Hajiji said the redevelopment comprises the construction of hotels and resorts, residential and commercial areas equipped with public parks and recreational areas.
He added that the state anticipates that TAED will be one of the international-standard tourism destinations when completed and will promote a vibrant lifestyle, especially for Kota Kinabalu and Sabah in general.
Hajiji then said that the project will also provide a host of employment and business opportunities for Sabahans as well as for micro, small and medium enterprises, especially in the hospitality and tourism industries.
The TAED was first introduced by the then-Barisan Nasional government before the 14th General Elections in 2018.
Covering some 340ha, the development was initially slated to have seven hotels with 1,800 rooms, 5,000 apartment and condominium units, marinas and entertainment venues as well as a 133ha golf course.
Parti Warisan and its allies decided to retain the project after they took over the state government in 2018, albeit with some alterations and scaled it down despite earlier saying they would scrap it if they won GE14.
