theSun Property June 2015

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ON FRIDAY JUNE 19, 2015
BYDATO’ STEWART LABROOY
THISis the second time
I have been asked towrite
about Klang, partly because
I can lay claim to being a bit
of an expert, having grown up and
lived heremost of my life.
Klang unfortunately still
remains amunicipality [i.e. a town]
– albeit the Royal Town of
Selangor. What many people do not
realise, however, is that Klang is the
fifth largest town inMalaysia (by
population), boasting a population
of 744,000. When combinedwith
Port Klang, this figure rises to
861,000 (2010 Census). I have
always felt that this town, which I
have loved all my life, has been
short-changed over the past
decades. It has an incredible history
and a larger population than Shah
Alam (541,306) or Petaling Jaya
(613,000), which have, for reasons
unknown tome, been granted city
status ahead of this town, which is
steeped in history.
HISTORICAL KLANG
Yes, Klang’s historywas
established earlier thanMalacca
[which, for its population of
484,000, was also granted city
status]. It was originally part of the
colonised territory of the Sri Vijaya
andMajapahit government, and is
one of oldest cities inMalaysia.
According to history, Klang was
occupied over 2,000 years ago!
The first entry ever written on
Klang started from the age
of theMajapahit government,
approximately 600 years ago.
[SorryMalacca – you come in
second!]
For many years, the real estate
market in Klang was in the
doldrums and for a good reason.
There were nomajor launches and
no planned townships that could
rival the rest of Selangor or Kuala
Lumpur. Sometimes, I thinkwe
were quite content living in our
rather untidy but loveable town to
bother. Despite the fact that Klang
has a large and verywealthy
Chinese population that can rival
Penang, no top-tier developers ever
came to Klang. Then twomajor
events took place.
THE BIG BREAKS
The first was Bandar Bukit Tinggi
(BBT), whichwas launched by
little-known developerWCTBhd
in 1997. It was the first major
integrated andmodern township to
be launched in Klang. The
RM5 billion self-sufficient township
spanned across a total freehold land
area of 1,346 acres, servingmore
Dreamhome
SETAPAK HEIGHTS Sdn Bhd brings you
Infiniti 3 Residences, offering all the elements
of a dreamproperty, namely excellent
connectivity, wide choice of unit options,
ample facilities and a lush natural landscape.
Situated on an elevated site in theWangsa
Maju suburb, the development spreads across
7.38 acres, complemented by lush greenery on
one side and a breathtaking viewof KL
cityscape, including the Petronas Twin
Towers, on the other.
Comprising three 30-storey towers, the
development offers 523 units of varied unit
configurations, from 3-bedroom to
4+1-bedroomunits. Towers B and C offer
functional 3-bedroomand 3+study units with
built-up of 1,085 sq ft and 1,518 sq ft respectively,
suitable for newlyweds and young families.
Tower A on the other hand, accommodates
4+1-bedroomunits, with spacious interiors
measuring 2,266 sq ft, ideal for larger families.
All units come fittedwith air-conditioners,
kitchen cabinets, hood and hob, wardrobes, as
well as fully out-fitted bathrooms.
Communal facilities are aplenty at Infiniti 3
Residences and include lounges, chill-out
spaces, sky gardens and entertainment areas
with different themes located at each of the
three towers. In addition, there are two leisure
podiums – Serenity Deck that is designed to
offer peace and tranquillity and Vitality Deck
which provides for a tennis court, futsal court
and a fun pool.
Infiniti 3 Residences is perfectly located
with direct connectivity to various major
highways such as DUKE, MRR2 and ALKEH. It
is alsowell served by public transport to the
city. This includes the Sri Rampai LRT Station,
which is approximately a 300maway via a
proposed coveredwalkway.
While KLCC is only a short 10-minute drive
from the development, residents can choose to
stay put at home knowing
that access to shoppingmalls,
hypermarkets, hospitals
and schools, are all just
minutes away.
The development is
scheduled for completion in
2017. Tower B and C are now
open for sale with prices
starting fromRM645,000.
Meanwhile, Tower A is open
for registration. Interested
buyers can view the two
show suites daily from 10am
to 6pm. For more
information, log on to www.
than 80,000 residents and
encompassed two large
hypermarkets, Tesco andGiant
Hypermarket, plus a four-star
modern business hotel, the
Première Hotel. The development
project is also home to AEONBukit
Tinggi Shopping Centre, the largest
AEON (Jusco) store in Southeast
Asia. Bandar Bukit Tinggi now
consists of threemajor developed
areas, namely Bandar Bukit Tinggi 1
(BBT 1), Bandar Bukit Tinggi 2
(BBT 2) and Bandar Bukit Tinggi 3
(also known as Bandar Parklands).
The residents fromKlang had
never seen anything like this. Soon,
BBT became themost successful
and fastest growing township in the
royal town.
The secondwas SP Setia’s Setia
Alamdevelopment inMeru. This
RM20 billion townshipwas
launched in 2004 by SP Setia
Berhad. Formerly known as North
Hummock Estate, it was purchased
from the See Hoy ChanGroup.
Noteworthy features of this
development include its excellent
infrastructure, extensive
landscaping and generous
recreational areas set aside for the
use of residents. Tight security
and a raft of amenities were two
other features. As a result,
purchasers fromKlang piled in to
snap up these very upmarket
properties, whichwere denied to
them in the past.
What we don’t realise is that
these Klang developments made SP
Setia andWCT the success stories
that they are today. Riding on the
success of these projects, Mah Sing,
Sime Darby, Gamuda and IOI
Properties took the cue and
launched large scale integrated
developments in Klang. Believe it
or not, everything that was built
was sold, reinforcing the fact that
Klang is an immensely rich town.
Don’t miss our article next week
revealing the phenomenal DNA
that puts Klang up the ranks, as a
sizzling hot spot inGreater KL.
[Dato’ Stewart LaBrooy is CEO
and executive director of Axis
REITManagers Berhad.]
Email your feedback and
queries to: propertyqs@
X
> The forgotten gemof Greater KL – Klang
Property hot spotsPART3
PHOTO: WWW.EXPLORING-MALAYSIA.COM
LamanGreenville, Bukit Tinggi, Klang byWCT Land.
Klang town.
Glory ParkHomes, Bandar Bukit Tinggi 2 byWCT Land.
Aerial view.
Gourmet kitchen. Infinity facade.