Showing posts with label Iskandar. Show all posts
Ten reasons why you should invest in Iskandar
KUALA LUMPUR: Iskandar Malaysia, officially launched in 2006, covers an area of 2,217 sq km (roughly three times the size of Singapore). Upon launching its total population was 1,350,000 habitants, of which total work force was 610,000 heads.
Khazanah Nasional has drawn a 25-year Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP, available on line at the IRDA web site) covering all the multifaceted aspects of developing a new economic growth region. As at December 2013 the Iskandar Malaysia population showed a head count of 1,880,000, of which 750,000 was the total workforce.
Here are the 10 reasons to buy the Iskandar Malaysia Economic Development idea:
1) The CDP has been defining all the possible aspects of economic development and acts as a master plan of the whole economic development. The manufacturing and services sectors are the drivers justifying the population growth projection (3,000,000 by 2025 with 1,500,000 work force)
2) Economic development has been given the priority as without FDI and local manufacturing/services investment, there cannot be future development of the region. As at December 2013, IRDA has achieved RM133bil, of which 45% is already realised.
3) The nine pre-defined economic clusters are all respecting the given timetable and some of them are even anticipating it.
4) Federal and State Government and authorities have been completing a general improvement and upgrading of all the infrastructures (road, water reticulation, power distribution and so on) before the actual property development even started.
5) Singapore needs future expansion for its manufacturing and productive sectors, and Iskandar Malaysia is the perfect location for it. Drivers for the Singaporean decision to invest in Iskandar Malaysia are the low cost of industrial space, both rented and built, low cost of labour, low cost of properties in general, ease of accessibility (two bridges are offering alternative routes to access Iskandar Malaysia), friendly “doing business” environment, and the willingness to improve on the Malaysian side.
7) Johor has been seeing the highest increase of the per capita income during the last four years (2009-2012 = +33%) compared to the rest of Malaysia. This is raising the average value of affordable houses by almost 25%, and the projection is for it to be on par with Selangor in the range of RM38,000/40,000 average per capita income by or before the next three years.
8) Malaysia is the only country in the whole SEA region where foreigners are allowed to buy freehold real estate properties (residential, commercial, industrial and land) without particular restrictions (currently there is only a RM1,000,000 threshold and a consent letter to be released by the local authorities).
9) Even though valid for Malaysia as a whole, we are still a country where properties have the lowest cost compared to all our regional neighbours.
10) Iskandar Malaysia is one of the Malaysian states where the current demand of houses with values between RM250 and RM600 psf is mostly unsatisfied. - The Star Biz
Dr Daniele Gambero, REI Group of Companies CEO and co-founder, gives presentations on the property market and welcomes feedback atdaniele.g@reigroup.com.my.
Tag :
Iskandar
New Mega Project in Iskandar
PETALING JAYA: China’s Country Garden Holdings Co Ltd and Kumpulan Prasarana Rakyat Johor (KPRJ) have drawn out plans for a massive reclamation project to build luxury homes near Pendas in southern Johor near Singapore, according to sources.
Sources said that the project could entail a land area of “a few thousand acres,” which would make it one of Iskandar Malaysia’s single largest projects.
It isn’t clear how much Country Garden is pumping into the project, but going by its size, it would dwarf the Hong Kong-listed firm’s first project in Danga Bay, which only covered an area of 50 acres or 20ha, for which it had paid RM900mil.
The new project is being dubbed Forest City.
Industry sources said that such a reclamation project would probably be the largest reclamation project in the country, and that the parties embarking on it would have to have deep pockets.
Country Garden had cash and bank deposits amounting to 21.51 billion yuan (RM11.37bil) as at June 30, 2013.
KPRJ, on the other hand, is the state government’s investment arm. It owns 30% in Iskandar Waterfront Holdings Sdn Bhd (IWH), which, in turn, has 1,619ha of land in Iskandar Malaysia.
Country Garden is already well-known in the Iskandar region for its maiden project in Malaysia, Country Garden@Danga Bay, which surprised the Malaysian property market when it launched 9,000 condominium units at one go last year.
The RM10bil project is built on the land in Danga Bay it had acquired for RM900mil in December 2012.
It is understood that the new project by the Country Garden-KPRJ joint venture, which is situated near the second link crossing to Singapore, will also become a new tourism hub.
Previous reports have indicated that the Johor government might also consider creating Malaysia’s biggest duty-free zone in this reclaimed land area, leveraging on its proximity to Singapore.
The location of the new Country Garden-KPRJ development is also close to Singapore tycoon Peter Lim’s multi-billion-ringgit Motorsports City project, which will include a Formula One-compliant racing test track as well as showrooms, garages and entertainment outlets spread over 109ha.
The new Country Garden-KPRJ project illustrates the growing interest among mainland China developers in Iskandar. The Chinese already have a strong presence in the southern region.
Besides Country Garden, another developer, Guangzhou R&F Properties Co Ltd, made a record-breaking deal when it paid RM4.5bil or RM891 per sq ft to the Sultan of Johor for 47ha of land in the vicinity of the old Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex.
Sources said there were at least another three China developers in talks to acquire land in Iskandar.
Meanwhile, the sale of reclaimed land seems to be also becoming a trend in Johor. Prior to this, IWH had sold a 28.33ha man-made island at Danga Bay to Temasek Holdings Pte Ltd and CapitaLand Ltd for RM800mil, while the land Guangzhou R&F bought is partially reclaimed land.
Sources said that the project could entail a land area of “a few thousand acres,” which would make it one of Iskandar Malaysia’s single largest projects.
It isn’t clear how much Country Garden is pumping into the project, but going by its size, it would dwarf the Hong Kong-listed firm’s first project in Danga Bay, which only covered an area of 50 acres or 20ha, for which it had paid RM900mil.
The new project is being dubbed Forest City.
Industry sources said that such a reclamation project would probably be the largest reclamation project in the country, and that the parties embarking on it would have to have deep pockets.
Country Garden had cash and bank deposits amounting to 21.51 billion yuan (RM11.37bil) as at June 30, 2013.
KPRJ, on the other hand, is the state government’s investment arm. It owns 30% in Iskandar Waterfront Holdings Sdn Bhd (IWH), which, in turn, has 1,619ha of land in Iskandar Malaysia.
Country Garden is already well-known in the Iskandar region for its maiden project in Malaysia, Country Garden@Danga Bay, which surprised the Malaysian property market when it launched 9,000 condominium units at one go last year.
The RM10bil project is built on the land in Danga Bay it had acquired for RM900mil in December 2012.
It is understood that the new project by the Country Garden-KPRJ joint venture, which is situated near the second link crossing to Singapore, will also become a new tourism hub.
Previous reports have indicated that the Johor government might also consider creating Malaysia’s biggest duty-free zone in this reclaimed land area, leveraging on its proximity to Singapore.
The location of the new Country Garden-KPRJ development is also close to Singapore tycoon Peter Lim’s multi-billion-ringgit Motorsports City project, which will include a Formula One-compliant racing test track as well as showrooms, garages and entertainment outlets spread over 109ha.
The new Country Garden-KPRJ project illustrates the growing interest among mainland China developers in Iskandar. The Chinese already have a strong presence in the southern region.
Besides Country Garden, another developer, Guangzhou R&F Properties Co Ltd, made a record-breaking deal when it paid RM4.5bil or RM891 per sq ft to the Sultan of Johor for 47ha of land in the vicinity of the old Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex.
Sources said there were at least another three China developers in talks to acquire land in Iskandar.
Meanwhile, the sale of reclaimed land seems to be also becoming a trend in Johor. Prior to this, IWH had sold a 28.33ha man-made island at Danga Bay to Temasek Holdings Pte Ltd and CapitaLand Ltd for RM800mil, while the land Guangzhou R&F bought is partially reclaimed land.
Tag :
Iskandar,
Property News
Iskandar: A well-planned development
SINGAPORE (April 25, 2013): Iskandar Malaysia, formerly known as Iskandar Development Region, is becoming a major success story for Malaysia, said Franklin Templeton's emerging markets group executive chairman Mark Mobius.
"It is a good example of diligent planning and foresight on the part of the government.
"The area has now reached the "take-off" point where developments will become self-generating and create a virtuous circle," he told Bernama.
Singapore is the largest investor in Iskandar Malaysia.
Mobius, who was sharing his views on the election process, said the risks were minimal and as long as the close cooperation between Singapore and Malaysia continued, it will be a win-win situation for both countries.
Under the administration of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, bilateral ties between Malaysia and Singapore is now at an excellent stage.
This was proven during the Singapore-Malaysia Leaders' Retreat in February where both Najib and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong reaffirmed their commitment to a stronger and mutually beneficial partnership.
Recognising that a dynamic and successful Iskandar Malaysia benefited both Malaysia and Singapore, the leaders agreed to intensify existing cooperation and explore new ways to leverage on the complementarities between Singapore and Iskandar Malaysia.
When asked on the current bilateral ties between Malaysia and Singapore, Yang Razali Kassim, a Senior Fellow, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies said: "I would say that Singapore-Malaysia ties are entering a new phase.It is clearly more warm and neighbourly, more constructive and more productive".
With Najib and Lee jointly steering the ship of bilateral relations, both countries seem to be leaving behind the acrimonious ties of the past, especially those of the 1990s.
"We seem to be very serious about wanting to benefit from each other's strengths and from the synergies of close relations.
"Indeed, the word "breakthrough" has been used by both leaders to describe the new phase that bilateral relations are in now.
"And, this breakthrough is concretely captured in several major achievements: the resolution of the long-standing KTM land issue in Singapore; the consequent creation of M+S Pte Ltd (a company owned 60:40 by Khazanah Holdings Bhd, and Temasek Holdings Pte Ltd) to take ties forward on the economic front, in creative new ways; and now the announcement of a high-speed rail link between Singapore and Malaysia.
"Visions of KL and Singapore as "twin cities" and as "one virtual urban community" like London and Paris have now been conjured. These are major signposts of a new kind of relationship that we are talking about between Singapore and Malaysia now, and which we can expect in the years to come," added Yang Razali.– Bernama
Tag :
Iskandar,
Property News
Iskandar Malaysia: City of the future
Smart style: Stately buildings in Kota Iskandar, Johor’s administrative centre, a 130ha integrated development set amidst landscaped gardens and parks in Nusajaya.
Iskandar Malaysia in Johor is the pilot region for a smart city model for Malaysia.
THE aim of a smart city programme is to enhance the people's quality of life, and to achieve a sustainable economic and technological ecosystem that would ultimately create smart, connected and inclusive communities.
Iskandar Malaysia in Johor has been chosen as the pilot region for a smart city model for the country as well as the world during the first inter-session meeting of the Global Science and Innovation Advisory Council (GSIAC) in San Jose, California, in July this year.
The GSIAC was formed by the Malaysian government and the New York Academy of Sciences in 2011 to drive Malaysia's efforts to accelerate economic development through science, technology and innovation. The GSIAC serves as an advisory panel to Prime Minster Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and is composed of international experts.
Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim (third from left) looking at a model of Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios during his visit to the site on Oct 3. The Pinewood project is a film and TV studio complex located at a 20ha site in Nusajaya.
Najib, as chairman of the GSIAC, has endorsed the smart city programme with a view to benefit and transform the living standards of the people through a sustainable economy and technology-based ecosystem towards a smart and inclusive socio-economic growth.
According to Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) chief executive officer Datuk Ismail Ibrahim, the Iskandar Malaysia Smart City Framework is based on three main pillars: economy, environment and social aspects.
He says these elements will set the foundation for a city built on the “smart integration of investments in human and social capital, combining hard and soft infrastructure that fuel sustainable economic development, a high quality of life, wise management of natural resources, through participatory governance.”
Smart cities have been implemented in the West and while definitions of a smart city may vary depending on the priorities of the respective country, Ismail says that for Iskandar Malaysia, the focus is on:
EduCity Iskandar Malaysia is a 280ha education hub in Nusajaya, featuring universities and institutes of higher learning, R&D centres, student accommodations, and, recreational and sports facilities.
“How we attract economy in a smart way with catalytic projects, by complementing Singapore, and meeting global requirements.
“How we get smart and good buy-in from the public in the things that we want to do and implement, and the usage of new channels of communication for the citizens, such as public participation for feedback, utilising the Web to reach out to larger groups of people, encouraging the private sector to work together with the public sector in providing the necessary infrastructure.
“How we can conserve the environment in a smart way, by enticing developers/investors to do their part for the environment by giving incentives for green technology and infrastructure, and introducing green economy and carbon credits.
Iskandar Malaysia’s framework for a smart city focuses on economic growth, balance with the environment, and social sustainability.
“How we should plan for smart mobility and connectivity by focusing on public transport instead of building more roads, and improving strategic ICT infrastructure to ease the process of doing business as well as for an easier lifestyle without actual movement on the roads. The ICT improvements would also provide new economic opportunity for people living in city as well as in rural areas.
“How we can produce smart people and mindset by taking on the grassroots and younger generation, providing training and events to promote harmony-living, and job opportunities and reach-out programmes.
“How we provide quality living in a smart way, by having and promoting shared responsibilities between the police, business communities and the people to ensure a safe and secure Iskandar Malaysia, via the SafeCAM project and Rakan Cop. There should also be diversified and choices in education and health management for a better lifestyle, and varied recreational facilities focusing on family-oriented activities.”
Success will not only be for Iskandar Malaysia but for the nation as well, as the smart city concept will be replicated in other parts of the country. - Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) chief executive officer Datuk Ismail Ibrahim
Ismail says that countries like South Korea and Japan also promote the same concepts for their smart cities but their focus is more on ICT.
“Their concept is not in line with Iskandar Malaysia's vision of a sustainable metropolis of international standing' which focuses on economic growth, balance with the environment, and social sustainability. Therefore, Iskandar Malaysia's approach is more similar to that of European countries.”
On Iskandar Malaysia being the chosen venue for the smart city project, Ismail says that Iskandar Malaysia is one of the fast economic growth corridors in the country.
With its existing track record and various completed blueprints and action plans, he says Iskandar Malaysia can accelerate the programme because:
> Iskandar Malaysia's vision and pillars are similar to the framework benchmark with other international cities.
> Iskandar Malaysia already has related blueprints that outline detailed action plans and many are in line with the smart city framework.
> Iskandar Malaysia consists of green field and brown field areas with different infrastructure and capacity which can be implemented nationwide and provide platform for “quick win” projects.
> Iskandar Malaysia has already developed a sustainable implementable model whereby projects are privately-driven and require minimum government intervention.
> Iskandar Malaysia has IRDA which has the resources to plan, promote and facilitate initiatives such as the smart city.
Iskandar Malaysia’s improved facilities, connectivity and efficiency provide a positive impact on the economy and quality of life.
The smart city programme will be applied in Nusajaya whose development has already embraced the smart city concept.
“What we are doing in Nusajaya is the early buy-in not only for Iskandar Malaysia but also for Malaysia. We need to have something measurable that people can see and experience for themselves.
“Success will not only be for Iskandar Malaysia but for the nation as well, as the smart city concept will be replicated in other parts of the country,” says Ismail.
While initial attention is on Nusajaya, the smart city programmes and initiatives will eventually cover other areas in the Iskandar Malaysia region, he adds.
Round-the-clock CCTV surveillance ensures the safety and security of the people.
For a smart city to work, it requires the efforts of the people and the public sector. Ismail says the public sector's role is to build the required infrastructure and to disseminate awareness and understanding of the smart city concept.
“But at the end of the day, it is the community that must own it,” he says.
Iskandar Malaysia the country's first economic growth corridor was launched on Nov 4, 2006. It was then known as the South Johor Economic Region. In April 2008, the name was changed to Iskandar Malaysia in honour of the late Sultan Iskandar Ibni Almarhum Sultan Ismail of Johor.
Iskandar Malaysia covers a 2,217sqkm area in the southernmost part of Johor. Three times bigger than Singapore and twice the size of Hong Kong, Iskandar Malaysia is divided into five flagship development zones: Johor Baru City Centre, Nusajaya, Eastern Gate Development, Western Gate Development and Senai-Kulai.
zaza@thestar.com.my
Sunday November 4, 2012
Tag :
Iskandar,
Property News
