State will benefit from sports facilities built off Queensbay reclamation spot says Guan Eng

GEORGE TOWN: The Penang government has defended the reclamation project off the Queensbay coast, near Bayan Lepas, as the state will benefit from the sports infrastructure to be built there.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said these include a semi-covered velodrome, an Olympics-level swimming and diving pool, a football field and basketball and volleyball courts.
He also dismissed the allegation residents there were not consulted over the matter.
"That is not true, there was consultation," he told a press conference today when asked to respond to state Gerakan secretary Oh Tong Keong's questioning of the project on Monday.
Defending the handling of the project by his administration, he said approval was given on April 20, 2015, and not in 2013 as alleged and all the documentation was finalise on Oct 7, 2015.
"So the agreement was finalised in October and I made the announcement in November, is this wrong? Is this too late?," he asked in response to state Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Teng Chang Yeow who urged the state to come clean over the project.
Teng was reported to have asked why the announcement was made during the state legislative assembly last month and alleged the approval was given in 2013.
The area in question is remembered after Lim's administration cancelled a reclamation project in 2011 after taking into account the public's views.
The reclamation project was compensation to Boustead Holdings Sdn Bhd for scaling down the height of its hotel in the George Town Unesco World Heritage Zone to comply with the 18m height requirement.
Subsequently, an agreement of RM20 million compensation to be paid by the state to Boustead was agreed on following negotiations.