Malaysian project will 'block Johor Straits'

Satiman Jamin, New Straits Times 18 Aug 08;

JOHOR BARU: Residents of Kampung Mohd Amin here are questioning the rationale of continuing with the Lido Boulevard project when the scenic bridge project may be revived. The century-old village will be affected as it is situated opposite the stretch of Lido Beach which is the proposed project site.

Lido Boulevard, a high end residential and commercial project, will be built on a reclaimed stretch of the Johor Straits, with reclamation work due to start next month, leaving just 50m of waterway on some stretches.

Kampung Mohd Amin Umno youth chief Saiful Adli Jamian, 38, said the Lido Boulevard development would negate the benefits of a bridge as there would no longer be a waterway.

He said the most important impact of a bridge, strategically and environmentally, would not be realised with the Lido Boulevard blocking the Johor Straits.

"If the Lido Boulevard project is allowed to proceed next month, it will only strengthen Singapore strategically.

"Vessels passing by the Johor Straits will have to enter Singapore's water."

Saiful said the Lido Boulevard project should be reconsidered due to many factors, including the impact on the environment, local community and future developments, especially if the government anticipated that the bridge project would be revived.
"If the project is to proceed, they might as well extend the reclamation works of Lido Boulevard and create a second causeway to Singapore because Malaysian territorial waters will not be there anymore."

He said extending the Lido Boulevard project to Singapore would create a 2.4km-wide causeway, a cost-saving alternative to the bridge with the same environmental and strategic costs to Malaysia.

Saiful said the loss of Pedra Branca to Singapore on May 23 should have made the government more alert in safeguarding Malaysia's interests when making decisions which involved the republic.

"A bridge built after Lido Boulevard will mean Singapore controlling the waterways and shipping in the area, with Johor having voluntarily discarded the Johor Straits by dumping millions of tonnes of sands to build luxury condominiums," he said.

Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said on Friday that the state government had made preparations to accommodate the construction of the Johor Baru-Singapore bridge if the project was revived.

Some old articles about Lido Boulevard

Johor To Get RM2.7 Billion Garden City
Bernama 27 Nov 07;

JOHOR BAHARU, Nov 27 (Bernama) -- Central Malaysian Properties Sdn Bhd (CMP), linked to tycoon Tan Sri Vincent Tan, is to develop a RM2.7 billion integrated residential cum commercial waterfront city here.

Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman tonight launched the Lido Boulevard project, which will be one of the biggest private finance initiatives to date in the Iskandar Development Region (IDR).

Coming up on a 49.371ha beachfront just outside Johor Baharu's central business district, it is designed to be the garden city of the south.

The privatisation project awarded last Aug 30 is a joint venture between CMP and State Secretary, Johor (Inc), an investment holding company of the state government which is also the landowner.

The Lido Boulevard, with a gross development value of RM2.7 billion, is CMP's flagship development and will be financed through shareholder funds and other internal financial arrangements.

The company will commence sales early next year.

"This development will not only change the Johor Baharu skyline but also raise our city's profile internationally," Abdul Ghani said at the launch.

"The idea is to design and reposition Johor Baharu as an international gateway to Malaysia, with a myriad of iconic buildings and top-notch public amenities and facilities."

The project, to be developed in phases, will stretch nearly 2.4 km along Lido Beach from the present Lot One shopping mall to the office of the Harbour Master.

"The development blueprint is based on the theme of a garden city, with landscaped gardens, water fountains and park-like facilities which will account for nearly a quarter of the entire development area," said CMP managing director Datuk Chan Tien Ghee.

The development will have four main components - luxury condominiums, waterfront office suites, a hotel and a shopping mall.

There will be eight blocks of high end condominiums of between 18 and 26 floors each offering 914 units.

There will be another eight blocks of waterfront office suites, a 296-room hotel-cum-serviced residence and a three storey waterfront retail complex with some 74,322.40 sq m of floor space.

Incorporated within the mall will be an international sized ice skating rink and a 32-lane bowling alley.

Chan later presented to Abdul Ghani a cheque for the RM1 million CMP Humanitarian and Environmental Fund which will be used to deal with any social and environmental issues that arise from the project.-- BERNAMA