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Fresh from its recent success at the Malaysia Property Award 2010 organised by Fiabci (International Real Estate Federation) Malaysia, Sunway City Ipoh is moving on to its next phase of growth.
Sunway City Bhd (SunCity) wants to replicate the success of its flagship Sunway Integrated Resort City in Subang, Selangor, at the 1,346-acre Sunway City Ipoh in Tambun, Perak. So far it has developed several landmarks there, including The Lost World of Tambun theme park and more recently the Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat. Coming up next is the Lost World Hotel.
The Lost World Hotel, which sits on a site of about three acres, comprises two 4-storey blocks, housing 127 rooms and 27 family suites. The gross floor area is about 115,100 sq ft, SunCity managing director for property management Ngeow Voon Yean tells City & Country.
The hotel is an extension of the Lost World theme park. The first block, which will be completed soon, is scheduled to open after Chinese New Year next month. Its gross development cost is RM30 million.
Ngeow reveals that on the drawing board is a shopping village that will feature alfresco F&B outlets by the riverside, SoHo and serviced apartments, and possibly an international premier brand outlet to serve the northern and central region markets. Details, however, have not been confirmed yet.
“With all these components — those being developed and those in the planning stages — we hope to transform the forest enclave into a vibrant eco-township as well as a leading tourism destination for Malaysia,” says Ngeow.
A new service road leading from the North-South Expressway to Jalan Tambun was recently opened, making Sunway City Ipoh even more accessible, he adds.
SunCity received The Best Master Plan Award at the Malaysia Property Award 2010 for Sunway City Ipoh, which was judged on financial considerations, partnerships with authorities, implementation, environmental impact and benefits to the community.
Touted to be the largest integrated township in Perak, it is located within the Tambun Hot Springs, comprising residential and commercial properties, an industrial park, a water theme park, hot springs resort, hotels, college as well as sports and adventure-based projects.
The RM1.5 billion resort township is a joint venture between SunCity, Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Perak and Yayasan Negeri Perak. It is designed to be the growth catalyst for the Eastern Development Corridor of Ipoh City.
One of the key elements of Sunway City Ipoh’s master plan was to work around the area’s natural terrains. The developer has taken steps to preserve the natural environment, such as the hills, caves and lakes, which also serve as water retention ponds. It has also retained 120,000 trees in the township.
“We wanted to create a harmonious environment where one can work, relax, shop, live and play amidst nature. Hence we added this philosophy to our master plan, to integrate the serenity and privacy of homes with amenities surrounded by verdant tropical greenery and million-year-old limestone hills,” says Ngeow.
He adds that the Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat was designed to optimise natural ventilation and incorporates nature’s own wellness sanctuary — a hot steam cave that uses geothermal water — as part of its therapeutic offerings.
SunCity scored a double win at the Malaysia Property Award 2010 when it also took home The Best Retail Development award for Sunway Pyramid, the second time the mall had been recognised at the awards. It first clinched the award for the same category in 2000.
This time, it was for the developer’s RM500 million Phase 2 expansion, which features waterless urinals and a car park guiding system to ease traffic congestion and reduce carbon monoxide emissions. With the expansion, Sunway Pyramid now has four million sq ft of space, with 800 outlets in five distinctive shopping precincts — Fashion Central, Oasis Boulevard, Asian Avenue, Marrakesh and Kids Zone. The mall receives three million visitors a month.
Touted as the first and largest thematic mall in the country, Sunway Pyramid has gone through a process of rejuvenation to keep it relevant to the community, says Ngeow. SunCity is now planning the mall’s Phases 3 and 4. Work on Phase 3, on a one-acre site, will start next month, and feature two blocks of serviced apartments, a 2½-storey retail podium with a net lettable area of 240,000 sq ft and 900 parking bays. Linked to the existing mall, the RM250 million project is expected to be completed by August 2014.
The developer is currently designing Phase 4, where the developer plans to build a high-end shopping village, boutique offices and serviced apartments on a six-acre plot. There are also plans to add in additional car park facilities and green building features.
A corporate office tower, The Pinnacle, located adjacent to SunCity’s headquarters Menara Sunway in Bandar Sunway, offering 560,000 sq ft of net floor area over 25 floors (excluding the car park) is expected to be launched this year and completed by December 2013.
The office tower is expected to be an MSC-status office building which meets both Malaysia’s Green Building Index and Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority’s Green Mark (Gold) certification standards.
Another mixed commercial development project underway is Sunway Velocity in Cheras, which comprises office suites, office towers, serviced apartments, shoplots and a shopping mall. The RM1.5 billion project, on a 22-acre freehold parcel, is expected to be completed by 2015. It is said that the shopping mall will have a total net floor area of more than 800,000 sq ft.
This article appeared in City & Country, the property pullout of The Edge Malaysia, Issue 841, Jan 17-23, 2011
