KUALA LUMPUR (April 28, 2012): The new major infrastructure projects in Penang, Greater Kuala Lumpur and Iskandar Malaysia, Johor, has presented several investment hotspots for prospective real estate investors, said renowned cartographer Ho Chin Soon.
These infrastructure projects include new highways in Penang and Iskandar Malaysia, Johor, as well as the mass rapid transit (MRT) project coming up in Greater Kuala Lumpur, the founder and director of Ho Chin Soon Research Sdn Bhd said at The Edge Investment Forum on Real Estate 2012 themedThe Edge Investment Forum on Real Estate this year was themed “Investing in uncertain times”.
In Greater Kuala Lumpur, he pointed out that the MRT green line will go through Pasar Rakyat station in the Imbi area, which is an interchange that is also part of the Kajang-Sungai Buloh line.
“The green line comes from Bandar Baru Selayang, punching through Kampung Baru, then it goes to the interchange here to the Pandan area and then it goes to Putrajaya’s electric rail line station,” he said.
He added that the MRT circle line will go through Sentul, the KL Metropolis project along Jalan Duta, Mont’Kiara, the vicinity of Bukit Kiara Equestrian and Country Resort, Universiti Malaya, Mid Valley City, the Bandar Malaysia township at the old Sungei Besi airport, before connecting with the existing LRT lines to Ampang Point before returning to Sentul.
Ho also pointed out four new highways coming up within Greater KL, namely the Damansara-Shah Alam Highway (Dash), the Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex), the Serdang-Kinrara-Putrajaya Expressway (Skip), and the Sungei Besi-Ulu Klang Expressway (Suke). Properties in areas served by these new highways would benefit from the better accessibility and connectivity.
In Johor, he named Nusajaya, Danga Bay and their respective vicinities as new hot spots thanks to the new Coastal Highway.
Meanwhile, the newly-opened Eastern Dispersal Link which helps to alleviate congestion is also good news for the eastern corridor’s hospitality projects. In addition, he predicted better prospects for Desaru’s tourism projects due to the Senai-Desaru Expressway due to enhanced connectivity.
Meanwhile for Penang, he said, “In Penang, focus on the island. Maybe, you’d want to look at Seberang Perai and Batu Kawan’s affordable housing. My dream is to one day go back to Penang, own a beachfront property [because it is growing scarcer] somewhere in Teluk Bahang, Batu Ferringhi.”
The forum was held at Sime Darby Convention Centre and saw 600 attendees turning up to gain insights into the real-estate market. The presenting sponsor was Malaysia Building Society Bhd while the supporting sponsor Sunway Property.
For the full coverage on the forum, read the May 7 issue of City & Country, the property pullout of The Edge Malaysia.
