Simplify application process for heritage building maintenance, Penang govt told

According to Unesco, Category II structures include buildings, objects, and sites of special interest that warrant every effort being made to preserve them. (Pic by Mark Lay)

GEORGE TOWN: A backbencher in the Penang state assembly has suggested that the Penang state government should assist heritage building owners by streamlining the bureaucratic processes they encounter when seeking approval for maintenance work.

Wong Yuee Harng (PH-Pengkalan Kota) expressed concerns that owners of Category II heritage buildings were facing difficulties in maintaining their properties due to a cumbersome application process.

According to Unesco, Category II structures include buildings, objects, and sites of special interest that warrant every effort being made to preserve them.

During the debate on the state’s 2024 supply bill, Wong highlighted that the preservation of such buildings would require owners to navigate maintenance applications at various technical stages, leading to a process that could take months.

Such bureaucratic hassle, according to Wong, not only delayed approval processes and increased professional fees, but also contributed to a spike in illegal maintenance work on Category II heritage buildings.

“The state government can consider simplifying the application processes for the maintenance and preservation of heritage buildings so that preservation work can commence swiftly,” said the DAP assemblyman.

He called on the Penang government to consider a programme to legalise maintenance work that had been carried out without permission if the owners were ready to come forward and fulfil conditions set by the authorities.

However, he did not specify the conditions.

Wong also highlighted how strict heritage preservation conditions required the use of the same building materials that were originally used and this increased the cost.

“Therefore, many owners feel that it is not worth maintaining these buildings – and they will leave them in unsatisfactory conditions,” he said.

Wong welcomed the state government’s offer to help heritage building owners maintain the units by providing them with incentives.

Expand welfare aid to single fathers

On a separate matter, Wong called on the state government to expand its i-Sejahtera welfare aid programme to include single fathers.

At present, only housewives, single mothers, the elderly, the disabled, and children are eligible to receive aid under the i-Sejahtera programme.

“Single fathers are no less different than single mothers in terms of their role in taking care of their children,” said Wong.