ISKANDAR DEVELOPMENT REGION | Johor ( Southern Johor ) | General News & Updates

[daeng_jal]

its strench in UMNO smell

unfortunately some forumer here o are allergic to it could be fatal lagi

lotsa my fren relative even in other forum like it,i myself like it,

[daeng_jal]

Originally Posted by ideal jb

And you know the Johorean (in this forum or elsewhere) hate it for the right reasons instead of senseless claims, don‘t you? Anyway hope ppl like yourself will fork out money and invest on the west side, perhaps move in too since you like it enough.

anyway u can't claim johorean(all 3mil of them) hate it,

as jacque fresco said,It would be far easier and would require less energy to build new, efficient cities than to attempt to update and solve the problems of the old ones

what more for a city that half past dead

[ideal jb]

I do agree that it can be cheaper to plan and build for a new plc but the problem is, where are we going to hv the kind of population to sustain a new plc?

Many Johorean hv properties in JB and closer to JB like Taman Molek right up to Ulu Tiram and from Taman Suria to Tuta. How many percentage from this grouping including JB's folks will relocate!?

And if the local stay put, how will new areas attract foreign or local investors alike when they can see or feel that people in general here shun that west side! The logic is simple, build a MRT station anywhere in JB and theres a good chance many would take advantage of it and land ard it will escalate, build it outside the result won't be as good.

West side is exactly like this and for it to happen, billions had been spent just to link it. If you want more reasons, read again from all forums to do with JB! You will find them and know that JB is still important, but the one in power no longer can "milk" it thus change of plc, better revenues again!

Anyway, if they failed to make JB shine these bunch of losers are worrisome if elected again! What makes you think West side will be the last of new plc they'll introduce, and that it won't end up like JB? Our land is vast so abuse it! Taxes are there to keep this trend of developments...

If only people in charge are perfectionist... JB is already renown for all the right reasons!

[$jimbo$]

Originally Posted by ideal jb

I do agree that it can be cheaper to plan and build for a new plc but the problem is, where are we going to hv the kind of population to sustain a new plc?

Many Johorean hv properties in JB and closer to JB like Taman Molek right up to Ulu Tiram and from Taman Suria to Tuta. How many percentage from this grouping including JB's folks will relocate!?

And if the local stay put, how will new areas attract foreign or local investors alike when they can see or feel that people in general here shun that west side! The logic is simple, build a MRT station anywhere in JB and theres a good chance many would take advantage of it and land ard it will escalate, build it outside the result won't be as good.

West side is exactly like this and for it to happen, billions had been spent just to link it. If you want more reasons, read again from all forums to do with JB! You will find them and know that JB is still important, but the one in power no longer can "milk" it thus change of plc, better revenues again!

Anyway, if they failed to make JB shine these bunch of losers are worrisome if elected again! What makes you think West side will be the last of new plc they'll introduce, and that it won't end up like JB? Our land is vast so abuse it! Taxes are there to keep this trend of developments...

If only people in charge are perfectionist... JB is already renown for all the right reasons!

West side has got the Singapore (both private and govt) involvement... that's exactly the ONLY thing I call "safety net"...

[daeng_jal]

its was never a reason called people shun from the west side,it was plan just like how
KLplan it suburbs,which are build on the east side 1st,like setiawangsa,maluri,cheras,and all now the north west are develop,area like damansara,mount kiara,which are much cooler n modern than the old suburb

not to mention it link well and closed to PTP,JSNAC n singapore via 2nd link as well as BSI

and "those loser" do plan to put MRT are in JB,x tau ker?

[ideal jb]

KL hv the clouts whereas JB is only S'pore and more of S'pore... To exert concentration near to 2nd link and deliberately put up highways all the way from JB town is unneeded. Its true that JB got lots of freehold lands but if the price is right ppl will sell and make way for better things. This will speed up JB developments and other worn out places ard it!

EDL is 1 eg. where ppl willingly sold their land. JB shld hv more of this transformation instead of expanding to immature areas! Great cities ard the world are build upon couple of times and improvements to it at a constant basis... they don't abandon it, they value add intensively! At present rate, JB greatness has been delayed further and i'm not the only one upset here...

[Vince]

Can's see how Iskandar can do well when JB is still a pile of mess........


Johor MB: Upgrade infrastructure

by Steven Chen on 16 Feb, 2011
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Local councils in Johor has been given a minimum time frame of 6 months to upgrade its basic infrastructures in stages by the state government.

Johor MB, Abdul Ghani Othman acknowledged the facts that the current poor conditions need to be given greater attention which includes improving road conditions, better drainage system, install more street lights with better maintenance of existing street lighthings and also improving the grass cutting services.

He also added that he do not want the local councils to give excuses for not improving and upgrading these basic infrastructures due to insufficient fund.

He was speaking at a Chinese New Year celebration function last night in Chung Hwa high school organised by the Muar Tionghua Associations.

He further said that if the upgrading exercise is implemented as according to plan, the public will get to enjoy the infrastures in a much more pleasant and safe environment.

On another subject, Ghani commented that eventhough Muar is considered a conservative district but its well known for it’s furniture industry. Hence, efforts are ongoing to register and to license all furniture factories who are operating without proper permit. This is to ensure that all licensed operating factories are in compliance with the environment protection standards.

At the function, Ghani pledged to allocate RM750,000 to 38 chinese associations in Muar and Bakri. Present were Dr. Robia Kosai, chairman of the state women development, family dan welfare committee, Chairmen of Villages Co-ordination Committee from DUN Sungai Abong, Dr. Haris Md Salleh, DUN Bentayan, Chris Lee, DUN Maharani, Mohd Ismail Mohd Shah, Bakri division chief, Saipolbahri Suib, ADUN Bukit Naning, Abdullah Ali, Muar district office, Mislan Karmani and Muar Police district chief, AC Mohd Nasir Ramli.

[portman99]

Looks like Vince is being a little economical with the truth here when he forgets to mention about the now improved (i.e. widened roads) from Skudai to Senai which is 90% completed which has help to speed up travel time to Senai Airport from JB town. 6-7 yeard ago it took me a good 45 minutes to make the trip because there was no flyover to UTM and the roads were only 2 lane. Now I can make the trip to Senai for my 7am flight in less than 30mins door to door, and this is with the extra distance for the U turn due to construction of the interchange, and by the way this will be completed by year end. Fly over construction only started late 2009. Once that is done, it will take less than 30 mins to Senai Airport. Senai is now perhaps one of the nicest State airports in Malaysia and should see the return of international flights with new Tourism products coming on stream like the Johor Premium Outlets ( Discount Branded Luxury goods) in Kulai by Genting, schedule to open its doors in Q4 this year and LEGOLAND in Q4 2012. I attended the IRDA briefing for SMEs where they briefed on on these projects and the opportunities for local SMEs in various sectors inlcuding tourism. It looks really good and I have confidence Genting will not be investing RM 150 million and not make sure it will succeed! Genting's own conservative estimates are 4 million visitors in the 1st year.

You are a bit trapped in the past, just look at the flyover near convent school and the widening of the roads along English College and Jalan Abu Bakar those are progressing either ahead of schedule or on track!

Originally Posted by Vince

Development is very haphazard, and messy everywhere. Some projects drag on for years or are too slow to complete. There are too many unkempt detours on the roads, causing unnecessary traffic pile-ups. Nightmare to be a pedestrian as there is dust everywhere and no proper sidewalk. Nice green parks are not very common and getting more rare. Even parks that used to be nice are undermaintained now, thus dissuading citizens from going. I was almost late for an Air Asia flight to KL couple of weeks ago just because of the huge traffic jams early Monday morning going to Senai airport due to the construction of the interchange there that takes forever. Now would you consider this to be developing well? Can't say about JB 10 years down the road, but it sure is a nightmare at the moment.

[portman99]

I wonder if people know if the Bus Iskandar Malaysia pilot project which is now running 16 new routes which did not exist has a ridership of 83,000 every month? There are now plans to introduce a new transit express service to further improve connectivity from East to West and North to South with express bus service which will speed up travel time for commuters by reducing the number of stops to just main hubs ( instead of every single stop!) while they prepare to roll out the Bus Rapid Transit across Iskandar Malaysia so that we can then link with the MRT come 2018. So in addition to expanding road capacity, the Authorities are also tackling the problem for other angles as well. They have a dedicated team there working SOLELY at Public Transport infra. So clearly IRDA is doing things differently which is why we can now see some 'small' changes, but we the people in Iskandar need to be more supportive and criticise constructively instead of just condemming. I have personally spoken to the people there and they are very open to feedback from the community.

Originally Posted by Vince

If the authorities don't improve on public transportation and just build more flyovers and highways, there are just going to be more vehicles on the roads and the infrastructure will never catch up with the rate of vehicular increase. The widening of Jalan Tebrau in the 80s and the construction of the ring road around JB downtown were projects to ease congestions...and the result today? KL has been building so many roads and highways and yet there are still so many traffic jams. Why can't JB learn from the examples of other cities? We can't keep doing the same thing and expect different results, this is insanity (quote from Albert Einstein)

[Vince]

Originally Posted by portman99

Looks like Vince is being a little economical with the truth here when he forgets to mention about the now improved (i.e. widened roads) from Skudai to Senai which is 90% completed which has help to speed up travel time to Senai Airport from JB town. 6-7 yeard ago it took me a good 45 minutes to make the trip because there was no flyover to UTM and the roads were only 2 lane. Now I can make the trip to Senai for my 7am flight in less than 30mins door to door, and this is with the extra distance for the U turn due to construction of the interchange, and by the way this will be completed by year end. Fly over construction only started late 2009. Once that is done, it will take less than 30 mins to Senai Airport. Senai is now perhaps one of the nicest State airports in Malaysia and should see the return of international flights with new Tourism products coming on stream like the Johor Premium Outlets ( Discount Branded Luxury goods) in Kulai by Genting, schedule to open its doors in Q4 this year and LEGOLAND in Q4 2012. I attended the IRDA briefing for SMEs where they briefed on on these projects and the opportunities for local SMEs in various sectors inlcuding tourism. It looks really good and I have confidence Genting will not be investing RM 150 million and not make sure it will succeed! Genting's own conservative estimates are 4 million visitors in the 1st year.

You are a bit trapped in the past, just look at the flyover near convent school and the widening of the roads along English College and Jalan Abu Bakar those are progressing either ahead of schedule or on track!

yeah u said it: it took 7 years to improve part of skudai highway and the bottleneck at Senai should have been done concurrently to ensure a smooth ride to a major gateway. Tell me when do JB folks ever enjoy smooth rides since the 80s?

And I don't think that Senai is "one of the nicest" state airports in Malaysia. the airport is a one-storey tent-structure with the old terminal unchanged. The airport looks really dark at night with lamp-posts unlit near the round-about. Obviously you have not stepped foot on KK, and Kuching airports? Penang airport would be in a similar category once renovation is completed.

You are confident Genting will NOT invest 150million and NOT make sure it will succeed? Right, you can surely say that again! I am very confident of that too. You can quote all the openings, but as long as they are not opened, I don't buy it.

[Vince]

Originally Posted by portman99

I wonder if people know if the Bus Iskandar Malaysia pilot project which is now running 16 new routes which did not exist has a ridership of 83,000 every month? There are now plans to introduce a new transit express service to further improve connectivity from East to West and North to South with express bus service which will speed up travel time for commuters by reducing the number of stops to just main hubs ( instead of every single stop!) while they prepare to roll out the Bus Rapid Transit across Iskandar Malaysia so that we can then link with the MRT come 2018. So in addition to expanding road capacity, the Authorities are also tackling the problem for other angles as well. They have a dedicated team there working SOLELY at Public Transport infra. So clearly IRDA is doing things differently which is why we can now see some 'small' changes, but we the people in Iskandar need to be more supportive and criticise constructively instead of just condemming. I have personally spoken to the people there and they are very open to feedback from the community.

What about improving service where the BULK of JB folks are residing? Create denser neighbourhoods around JB city centre and build better city-transit systems instead of all these express buses to far away suburbs? Developers are shunning the city centre and surrounding neighbourhoods because authorities have never improved on these neighbourhood, be it transit, parks, recreational facilities, libraries, etc. Johor may have land, but we are clearing farmlands, plantations, forest and mangrove swamps like never before just so that a few houses can be built in the suburbs and more cars congested on the roads and hi-ways? If we keep building our city like what we currently do, MRT is not functional at all. The development happening now is totally unsustainable, and we are paying a price for it.

[nazrey]

[QUOTE=jb2020;69723461]I saw this road bunting along the road near Kebun Teh. Hope with the good track record of SP Setia townships in jb, this condo will rise asap.

Originally Posted by JB Citizens (+_+)

Sky Gardens, Setia Tropika JB

@ Setia Tropika

image hosted on flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mohd-shahir/2977681933/

[daeng_jal]

Originally Posted by Vince

What about improving service where the BULK of JB folks are residing? Create denser neighbourhoods around JB city centre and build better city-transit systems instead of all these express buses to far away suburbs? Developers are shunning the city centre and surrounding neighbourhoods because authorities have never improved on these neighbourhood, be it transit, parks, recreational facilities, libraries, etc. Johor may have land, but we are clearing farmlands, plantations, forest and mangrove swamps like never before just so that a few houses can be built in the suburbs and more cars congested on the roads and hi-ways? If we keep building our city like what we currently do, MRT is not functional at all. The development happening now is totally unsustainable, and we are paying a price for it.

so u wanna "force" people to give up on their addiction for landed property and cars?

why not u start an association for the improvement of sustainable urban build environment

it far more beneficial than hoping,waiting,praying that PR would come in and suddenly implement a hugely unpopular decision to stack people up in flat and gave up on car

[jb2020]

Monday February 21, 2011
JCorp selling land to repay part of debt
By ZAZALI MUSA
zaza@thestar.com.my


JOHOR BARU: Johor Corp will sell a parcel of land it owns in Johor as part payment for the RM3.6bil debt that is due in July 2012, says president and chief executive officer Kamaruzzaman Abu Kassim.

He also said the land had a market value of more than RM2bil.

The land was located within parts of Johor Baru that were earmarked for development under the RM1.8bil Johor Baru city centre transformation plan, he told Starbiz after the recent EGM of Kulim (M) Bhd - the main listed company under the JCorp stable.

It was reported that Johor will unveil the master plan for the Johor Baru city centre transformation project in the second quarter of this year.

JCorp also owns 3,237.48ha land in Sungai Belungkor, Kota Tinggi. It plans to sell 404.68ha, which is close to the Pengerang oil and gas hub, to the state government.

Petronas has been tasked by the Government to develop Penggerang and Teluk Ramunia into a new oil and gas hub in the region.

“We are hoping to get good prices for our land in the Johor Baru city area and in Sungai Belungkor,'' he said.

Sources said JCorp's land in Johor Baru was located near the Bukit Chagar and Lumba Kuda low cost flats as well as the Persada Johor International Convention Centre.

JCorp is also the land owner of the 1,698.87ha Tanjung Langsat industrial area in Pasir Gudang.

JCorp's unit Tanjung Langsat Port Sdn Bhd manages Johor's third port the Tanjung Langsat Port which handles bulk cargo such as liquefied petroleum gas and hazardous chemicals.

Kamaruzzaman's statement about the sale of land indicated a change in strategy by JCorp. Late last year, Kamaruzzaman had said that JCorp would not be selling any of its assets to repay bondholders' RM3.6bil when the papers are due on July 31, 2012. He had then said the plan was to refinance the debt.

But sources familiar with the situation said Kamaruzzaman was referring to speculation that JCorp would be selling its other key assets, such as QSR Brands Bhd (that owns KFC Holdings (M) Bhd and London-listed New Britain Palm Oil Ltd.

“The proposed sale of JCorp's land does fit into the strategy of refinancing its debt. In situations where the debt is huge, it only makes sense that the borrower shows some commitment by making some payments as part of the refinancing plan. The sale could help JCorp pay off a portion of the RM3.6bil debt and refinance the balance,” an investment banker said.

Kamaruzzaman had explained that the RM3.6bil debt was due to some JCorp investment projects since 2000, mainly in landed and industrial properties.

JCorp is one of the country's largest state economic development authorities and it has 250 companies.

According to JCorp's 2009 annual report, it had RM705mil cash but RM6.62bil in debt.

It had also paid RM500mil in interests and RM1.7bil in loan repayments. Despite being perceived as asset-rich, it only booked RM5mil in dividend receipts in the financial year 2009.

[jb2020]

related article to above news

Saturday February 5, 2011
Master plan for JB redevelopment soon
By ZAZALI MUSA
zaza@thestar.com.my


JOHOR BARU: Johor will unveil a master plan for the multi-billion ringgit Johor Baru city centre transformation project in the second quarter, which will be followed by work on the first component soon after.

Iskandar Regional Development Authority (Irda) chief executive officer Ismail Ibrahim said the project, which would take five to seven years to complete, would transform Johor Baru into a vibrant city.


Ismail Ibrahim says it is vital to redevelop Johor Baru city centre in line with its status as one of the five flagship development zones in Iskandar Malaysia.
He said it was vital to redevelop and rejuvenate Johor Baru city centre in line with its status as one of the five flagship development zones in Iskandar Malaysia.

The country's first economic growth corridor launched on Nov 4, 2006 is divided into five flagship zones; the other four are Nusajaya, Eastern Gate Development, Western Gate Development and Senai-Kulai.

“The redevelopment of Johor Baru city centre is very much by the private sector while the Government's role is to facilitate fund for infrastructure projects,'' Ismail told StarBizWeek recently.

He said the Johor government had approved the setting up of a special purpose vehicle, which has been tasked to come out with the master plan.

Ismail said funding for the project would come from the Federal Government while Irda and the State Economic Planning Unit would provide advisory and consultation for the drafting of the master plan.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had in June announced that the Government would allocate RM1.8bil under the 10th Malaysia Plan to rehabilitate and transform Johor Baru.

The RM1.8bil allocation includes RM200mil to open and clean up Sungai Segget, one of the dirtiest rivers in the country which flows along Jalan Wong Ah Fook in the Johor Baru city centre.

Several years ago, RM6mil was spent to cover up a stretch of the river, which has a reputation for being a dumping ground for raw sewage, into a pedestrian walkway.

Ismail said the redevelopment covered 485.62ha in Johor Baru city central area including Bukit Timbalan, Sungai Segget, the former site of the Lumba Kuda low-cost flats, Bukit Chagar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex and Tanjung Puteri Lorry Customs Complex.

Ismail said over 70% of the land demarcated under the redevelopment plan was privately owned and the balance held by the state government and other agencies such Johor Corp.

He said whether the pieces of land were privately owned or belonged to the state, they needed to be developed in a cohesive manner for the project to succeed.

He believed that with the right business approach, the land owners would accept the transformation plan.

He said it would be more challenging to undertake the project as those involved would have to work within a brown field, unlike Nusajaya which was a green field.

Ismail said the treatment of Sungai Segget would be the core of the project as Johor wanted to replicate the success story of South Korea for rejuvenating Cheongg-yecheon Stream, once an extremely filthy river, into “the life and soul” of downtown Seoul.

Johor Baru had a humble beginning as a small Malay fishing village, originally known as Tanjung Puteri. It was founded in 1855 by Temenggung Daeng Ibrahim, the father of the late Sultan Abu Bakar.

Sultan Abu Bakar, famously known as the “Father of Modern Johor”, changed the name to Johor Baru after he moved the seat of the government from Teluk Blangah in Singapore to Johor in 1866

[portman99]

If despite all that is happening around you, you still choose to remain negative then there nothing more I can say. I can certainly see that change is happening and so do many others, of course there are also others who may disagree , but what the heck.....this is a democracy and everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

By the way, please take note of the 'double negative' in my post. You may have overlooked it and misinterpreted what I wrote.

Originally Posted by Vince

yeah u said it: it took 7 years to improve part of skudai highway and the bottleneck at Senai should have been done concurrently to ensure a smooth ride to a major gateway. Tell me when do JB folks ever enjoy smooth rides since the 80s?

And I don't think that Senai is "one of the nicest" state airports in Malaysia. the airport is a one-storey tent-structure with the old terminal unchanged. The airport looks really dark at night with lamp-posts unlit near the round-about. Obviously you have not stepped foot on KK, and Kuching airports? Penang airport would be in a similar category once renovation is completed.

You are confident Genting will NOT invest 150million and NOT make sure it will succeed? Right, you can surely say that again! I am very confident of that too. You can quote all the openings, but as long as they are not opened, I don't buy it.

[sns]

I used to be "bearish"in Johor market, after I witnessed the changes in Bukit Indah where my sister is staying and its surrounding, I turned "bullish".

Considering only the foriegn investments alone in IM, it is quite promising already. I notice also a lot of Msian who are working in Spore are planning to settle down in Johor, due to experiencing and foreseeing the HDB rental price in Spore is going up and up. Other development in sectors like tourism, education, medical and etc will also push the market up.

Even there are many shortcomings currently, nevertheless we shall not ignore its potential too. I put my bet at bull side.

[jb2020]

im also agree with u. bukit indah township have lots of potential.this area is quite developed right now (jusco,tesco,giant,shophouse area and lots of residential/housing area). the u/c nusajaya/medini -danga bay highway also will pass this area. so in the future,jb folks can go shopping at bukit indah area, and "jalan2/rehat2" during weekend at kota iskandar n puteri harbour. heard also the highway is toll free.

[cooljtdada]

I have a few units to sell at Horizon Residence, Located in Bukit Indah in Zone B of Iskandar Malaysia, the RM160 million Horizon Residence sits on 5.58 acres of freehold land. Interested? Very High Floor. See Horizon Hills.
Look for agents too.

Can email me asap?

[sns]

Expatriates Feel the Pinch as Asia’s Rental Prices Soar
Published: Friday, 18 Feb 2011 | 1:58 AM ET
By: Ansuya Harjani
CNBC.com

The anemic job market in the U.S. and uncertainty over the euro zone economies have resulted in many Americans and Europeans looking to Asia for employment opportunities. But the exorbitant home prices in the region are forcing them to think twice.

Rental prices soared in 2010, according a report by consultancy firm ECA International. The cost of renting a two-bedroom apartment in the region, for example, rose almost 7 percent last year, compared to a 10 percent fall in 2009, the report said.

The return of expatriate employees to Asia since the financial crisis has reinvigorated demand, but the extent of the surge in prices was unexpected, the report noted.

“What has been surprising is the rate at which property prices have bounced back in some places in Asia, particularly Hong Kong and also locations like Singapore,” said Lee Quane, regional director at ECA.

In Hong Kong, the average monthly rental price of a two-bedroom apartment surged 22 percent to $2,830 in 2010, from the year before. While there has been a steady supply of real estate on the island, Quane says much of it has been snapped up by mainland investors, who, for the most part, have not placed their property on the rental market.

In addition to higher demand, the continuing strength of Asian currencies is also contributing to pricier accommodation.

Such is the case in Singapore, where average rental prices for a two-bedroom, unfurnished property in Singapore surged 15 percent over the course of 2010, according to the report.

“Rising prices hurt even more because I get paid in U.S. dollars, which has depreciated 9 percent against the Singapore dollar since I signed my lease seven months ago,” explained American Kevin Khan, who resides in the city’s central business district.

The corporate lawyer at an American firm says rentals at his condominium have risen almost 20 percent since he moved in last July.
“The increasing prices definitely worry me, they may even price me out of my current place,” he said.

Most Expensive 2-Bedroom Rental (Asia Ranking)
Tokyo 1
Hong Kong 2
Singapore 3
Seoul 4
Shanghai 5
Hanoi 6
Bangkok 7
Mumbai 8
Jakarta 9
Beijing 10

Most Expensive 2-Bedroom Rental (Global Ranking)
Tokyo 1
Hong Kong 3
Singapore 5
Seoul 15
Shanghai 24
Hanoi 27
Bangkok 28
Mumbai 35
Jakarta 36
Beijing 45