Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Sultan Abdul Aziz Mosque, Pulau Indah


This mosque was built and funded by HRH the late Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah .  The mosque was officially opened by Her Majesty on 03/05/1999






This mosque follows those found in many Middle East countries where there is a large dome on the roof and two more domes on each corner . A tower was built right outside the building  .








Tuesday, August 12, 2014

KHSB earmarks Pulau Indah land for RM8b project


By Ben Shane Lim of theedgemalaysia.com | The Edge Malaysia – Fri, May 25, 2012
KUALA LUMPUR (May 25): Kumpulan Hartanah Selangor Bhd (KHSB) will be developing 1,196 acres (484ha) on Pulau Indah with an estimated gross development value (GDV) of RM6 billion to RM8 billion.
KHSB on Thursday signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with architectural consultancy services firm, Norzakiah Architect, to prepare an integrated township master plan for the development dubbed Pulau Indah East.
The current proposed masterplan is for a mixed development with a resort, residential development and a town centre. Pulau Indah East will be located on the eastern side of the island away from the two ports that operate on the island, Northport and Westport.

"We want to transform the image of Pulau Indah as a port or an industrial site into a place that people want to visit and live in," said KHSB chairman Raja Idris Raja Kamarudin.
He added that a key purpose of the development is to enable KHSB to unlock the potential value of its assets.
"So far, we have been realising the value of our assets by industrialising the land or selling it off. We need to focus on creating recurring income from our assets which will help us pare down our debt," he said.
The land is currently marked as industrial or commercial land for development in KHSB's books with an average book value of RM3 psf.
"The land alone is now worth around RM1 million per acre [RM22.96 psf]. If we can develop it, it will be worth much more. The residential developments could rise to as much as RM500 psf [for completed units]," said Raja Idris.
"Hopefully, we can begin construction in 2013 and complete the first phase in 2014 or 2015."
Residential, commercial and resort developments will be undertaken simultaneously, said Raja Idris, adding that the individual components are not viable on their own.
He said the South Klang Valley Expressway, which is expected to finish in 2014, will give direct access to Pulau Indah from KLIA.
Raja Idris said KHSB will be looking for partners with the relevant expertise in each area.
"We will look for both foreign and local partners. We need experts in resorts, theme parks, golf courses and hotel for example, to help us in the design phase," he said.
In terms of funding, KHSB only has RM19.4 million in cash on its books against RM67.5 million in short-term debt.
Raja Idris said: "At this stage, we are open to taking on an equity partner [for the project]. Of course, as a public listed company, we can always go to the public to raise funds as well."
The 300-room, five-star resort will be located on a peninsula on the southern end of the island. The resort will also incorporate an 18-hole golf course with 48 guest villas and a club house. The planners want to build an active water recreation park next to the resort.
The residential development will range from affordable housing to high-cost apartments and over-water apartments.
Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, who was present at the MoU signing, said: "Pulau Indah hasn't been a 100% success story. It has been plagued by abandoned projects, which is unfortunate. However, I believe the current real estate market will allow this project to be a success."
KHSB also recently signed an MoU with Hong Kong-based developer Sun Lohas Group Ltd to develop 2,013ha in Bestari Jaya, Kuala Selangor, which it said has a potential GDV of RM8 billion.
This story appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on May 25, 2012.

Saturday, August 9, 2014

Pulau Indah (formerly known as Pulau Lumut)

Pulau Indah is an island off the west coast of Selangor, Malaysia. The West Port of Port Klang is located here. It was formerly known as Pulau Lumut.

Prior to the completion of the new Westport Bridge linking the island with Telok Gong, the only mode of transportation for the Pulau Lumut inhabitants were via a regular boat ferry service to Port Klang Terminal. The ride then took approximately 1 hour. Today, Pulau Indah is accessible through the aforementioned bridge (from Kuala Lumpur, Shah Alam and Klang) and the recently-completed Selat Lumut-SKVE bridge of the SKVE expressway (from Kajang, Putrajaya, Puchong, Banting and Pulau Carey).

Pulau Indah primarily contains Westport (Malaysia's major port), Pulau Indah Industrial Park (including Selangor Halal Hub), four local villages (Kg. Perigi Nenas, Kg. Sungai Pinang, Kg. Sungai Kembong, Kg. Teluk Nipah), a seaside park (Laguna Park), a housing estate (Bandar Armada Putra), and the Malaysian Navy's Pusat Hidrografi Nasional.


Saturday, August 2, 2014

Pulau Indah


from : http://www.malaysia-traveller.com/pulau-indah.html



What to make of Pulau Indah? Before the Selat Lumut bridge connecting Pulau Indah to Port Klang was completed in 1994, it was a sleepy rural island with fishing villages, mangrove swamps and some orang asli inhabitants.

Then came the development of West Port, one of the three major shipping terminals making up Port Klang, Malaysia's biggest and busiest port.

Today the island has a split personality; the northern side is developed with industrial estates, commercial developments, a Free Zone and a container terminal while the southern side retains some tranquil villages and is developing its mangrove coast as an eco-tourism attraction. But they are also building another bridge on the south side over to Carey Island and beyond to Putrajaya/KL so I would imagine its rapid transformation will continue.

I drove around the island recently and this is what I found.

Glenn Cruise Terminal
Glenn Cruise Terminal, Pulau Indah
Glenn Cruise Terminal, Pulau Indah
My map showed the Star Cruise Terminal as the first point of interest after reaching the island. It is now called the Glenn Cruise Terminal or Port Klang Cruise Centre. It looked impressive but the security guard would not let me in without a cruise ticket. Fair enough!
The neighbourhood near the cruise terminal is named Bandar Armada where there were rows and rows of deserted shophouse blocks which looked as though they had never been occupied. Perhaps someone over-estimated the demand for commercial property in this area. Some of the abandoned shops were being used as swiftlet farms and I could hear the loud recordings of birdsongs which were being played to encourage swiftlets to nest here. (The nests of the swiftlets are valued as the main ingredient for birds' nest soup.)
Abandoned shophouses at Bandar Armada, Pulau Indah

Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ)
Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ), Pulau Indah
Continuing along the busy truck-filled road on the north side I arrived at the bustlingWest Port where the tall terminal control tower building was surrounded by giant cranes and stacks of containers. The road ended at the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ)an impressive development of modern office buildings, a conference centre and hotel originally designed with involvement from Dubai's Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority. The Free Zone is modelled on Jebel Ali's highly successful example, even down to using the letters LOB (Leased Office Building) which I remember seeing in Jebel Ali.
Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ), Pulau Indah
Unlike Dubai's Free Zone however this facility was not booming. In fact it was completely deserted. The PKFZ had become mired in controversy due to alleged financial irregularities (nothing to do with JAFZA). I hope they sort it out soon as it looks like an excellent facility.

Eco-tourism
Waterfront at Pier One Laguna Park, Pulau Indah
Moving over to the southern side of the island, Pier One Laguna Park, also signposted as De Bund, is a residential development alongside a stretch of mangrove coastline which has been made more accessible and touristy with a mile-long promenade, jetties, kiddies playgrounds, futsal pitches, picnic areas, a restaurant and toilets.
From the pier, despite the no-fishing signs, a number of anglers were trying their luck in the murky and slightly smelly waters of the Selat Lumut, the wide estuary dividing Pulau Indah from Carey Island.
Waterfront at Pier One Laguna Park, Pulau Indah
Not far away was a sleepy Orang Asli village whose residents clearly still depended on fishing judging by the boats parked in their driveways. Across the street were a few scruffy huts built on stilts above the tidal inlets.

Fisherman's House, Pulau Indah
Fisherman's House, Pulau Indah
Further along were more traditional rural Malay kampungs and, next to the river, ramshackle jetties where couples had set up tents from where they could keep an eye on their fishing rods.

Cosy private fishing jetty, Pulau Indah
Cosy private fishing jetty, Pulau Indah
Pulau Indah means beautiful island and in many areas it still lives up to its name. The challenge will be to retain its charm and character in the face of increasing industrialisation.