| Coming – biggest shopping mall KUCHING: A RM270 million shopping mall, touted as the biggest in Sarawak, will be built on prime land in the city centre here and targeted at the medium and upper clientele market. To be named Plaza Merdeka, the state-of-the-art complex which will also house a 290-room boutique business and tourist-class hotel on eight levels, is designed by award-winning Filipino architect Yolanda David Reyes and scheduled to be completed by mid-2010. Chief Minister Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud is expected to officiate at the launching of Plaza Merdeka on May 8 and construction will begin in October this year. Steve Ng, the managing director of Rakyat Elite Sdn Bhd which is the developer, said the shopping mall would boast a gross built-up area of over half a million sq ft with a net lettable area of about 350,000 sq ft. He said the discerning feature of the mall would be a huge 9,000 sq ft four-storey high garden podium to be used for promotions and exhibitions. Anticipated major tenants would include a department store, supermarket, coffee shops as well as a food court, he told Eastern Times in an interview yesterday at his Jalan Mendu office. The land adjoins the Tourism Sarawak Complex and is bordered by Jalan Khoo Hun Yeang, Jalan Merdeka and Jalan Tun Openg on three sides. All the present buildings on the site, including the abandoned Merdeka Plaza, will be demolished to make way for the new development. Ng said ample car parking lots would be provided over six acres of space on two levels of the mall. Traffic flow in the area will be revised to avoid congestion once the mall is completed. The ample parking space in the mall is expected to enhance the pedestrian flow of the surrounding vibrant retail outlets. "We are confident that our assumptions to build this shopping mall are not wrong. We have done all the feasibility studies which also took into account the different needs of individual retailers in the vicinity," said Ng. He said that besides the commercial objective, the project was designed as a new landmark amid the old historic buildings in the area to add life, vibrancy and enthusiasm to the surrounding area. "This together with the other existing and future developments in the immediate vicinity will further enhance the existing tourism activities and make this location a centre of tourism activities in Sarawak," he said. "We are very open to suggestions from local retailers and we are ready to sit down and plan the future of the area with them." On the hotel, Ng said it would be situated atop the mall and the rooms would offer a panoramic view of Sarawak River, the Astana, the new State Legislative Assembly Complex and Fort Margherita on one side and Padang Merdeka and the Sarawak Museum on the other. "It will be an integrated component of the mall and complement the area to enhance its potential as a destination in the heart of the city," he said. However, Ng said, only 25% of the retail shoplots would be sold while the remainder would be managed by the group in order to maintain the original concept of the shopping mall. "We are here not just to make profits but also to ensure that the project will add value to both locals and visitors including tourists," added Ng. Written By:
Peter Sibon
Eastern Times
17 April 2007 | 
