Abandoned warehouses beside Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal revitalised

The country’s oldest but abandoned warehouses beside the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal in Penang will now be revitalised after some 50 – years in the doldrums.

The landmark warehouses were first built in 1826 as part of the port’s docks on the island but as the Penang Port expanded its operations more across the island in Butterworth, the warehouses were left idle for more than 50 – years.

Spanning some 21,000 sq m in space alongside the Weld Quay stretch and strategically located along the best waterfront landscape in the island state, the seven warehouses are now awaiting the selection of the best tender to redevelop it.

Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) chief executive officer Datuk Sasedharan Vasudevan disclosed that three out of eight applicants have been shortlisted following an open tender exercise by PPSB over the past year.

“We will entering the final process to select the best company to redevelop the warehouses and the future is seen as exciting for the state,” said Sasedharan.

He expects the upgrading project, which will also be near the colonial clocktower in the Esplanade to be ready within the next 24 – months.

Sasedharan was updating the media at a briefing in Suffolk House here last evening.

As the operator of the country’s oldest port, Sasedharan said that PPSB is compelled to tap the best potential for it.

Expecting a boom in tourism

This includes expanding the cruise industry and the commercial value of the historic pier, which was the main landing point in the growth of Penang as a major economic hub in the region. for centuries.

The revitalisation will include a retail center, a shopping complex, a hotel and outdoor dining.

It has the potential to become a major tourism attraction, said Sasedharan.

Sasedharan, an old boy of the St Xavier’s Institution school, which is located near the port, said that the redevelopment of the warehouses will also complement the upgrading of the adjoining marina.

Meanwhile, the state is also expecting a boom in its tourism sector in the next few years with the opening of the Penang Waterfront Convention Centre and renowned hotel chains on the island next year, said Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.

“With such facilities, we can expect to attract more direct flights to Penang and this will bring in more tourists so we can look forward to a booming tourism sector in the next few years,” he said after witnessing the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signing ceremony between IJM Perennial Development with Maxis Broadband Sdn Bhd, GlobalComm Telecommunications Sdn Bhd, Hyatt International – Asia Pacific and Galaxy Minion Hotel at The Light City here.

“Hopefully it can bring Penang to the next level especially in the MICE sector,” he said, referring to meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) tourism.

IJM Perennial Development Sdn Bhd, the master developer of The Light City, signed MOUs with four industry players for 5G-ready infrastructure, a hotel franchise agreement and a hotel management agreement.

IJM Perennial signed an MOU with Maxis Broadband Sdn Bhd and GlobalComm Telecommunications Sdn Bhd for the provision of smart city technology.

It then signed a hotel franchise agreement with Hyatt International – Asia Pacific to introduce the JdV by Hyatt brand to The Light City, and an agreement with Galaxy Minion Hotel to bring the reputable Chinese hotel brand to the Light City.

The Light City, which is being developed in stages, will feature the largest convention centre that can host 8,000 guests, a 750 metre long waterfront promenade, the largest waterfront mall in Penang, two international hotels, office spaces and residences.