GEORGE TOWN: The iconic Gurney Drive food court will be relocated to a new, modern hawker centre at Gurney Bay once the waterfront complex is completed next year.
Penang local government committee chairman Jason H’ng Mooi Lye said the new hawker centre is expected to be ready in the first quarter and will serve as the new site for traders currently operating at Anjung Gurney and around the Gurney Drive roundabout.
He said the move would involve 105 traders, 93 operators from Anjung Gurney and 12 temporarily licensed hawkers operating from static sites around the food court.
Responding to a question from Joshua Woo (PH- Pulau Tikus) at the state assembly meeting on Thursday (May 14), H’ng said the hawker centre was being developed as a key public component of the Gurney Bay waterfront project.
He said the facility was intended to be a more organised, comfortable and suitable environment for hawkers, in line with Gurney Bay’s role as a public recreational space and tourist attraction.
H’ng said construction was currently under way, with the progress currently at 4.16%.
The new hawker centre will feature 127 food stalls, seven drink stalls, 17 retail units and 43 mobile kiosk sites.
The number of tables and chairs has yet to be finalised as it would depend on the final interior layout, H'ng added.
He said rental rates would be determined after taking into account the operating and maintenance costs of the centre, to ensure sustainable long-term management.
He noted that rental rates for council-run food court lots currently range from RM8 to RM800 a month, depending on the size, facilities and location of the premises.
H’ng said that Gurney Bay remained under the supervision of Chief Minister Incorporated (CMI), and that an operator would be appointed to manage the hawker centre.
He added that existing Anjung Gurney traders would be given first priority for the new premises, followed by temporary hawkers currently operating around the roundabout.
