CONDOS - WHICH LEVEL FLOOR and ?

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hi,

It's not just the hygiene issue with swiftlet hotels. It's the noise. The owners play bird calls 24/7 to attract the birds. And there's the run-off from bird urine and droppings - straight into the outside drains.

So don't buy a condo unit above or below a swiftlet floor, or anywhere close to a swiftlet building. Guess the report comes from the Malaysian Swiftlet Association. Or something. Birds nests are big money.

By the way, swiftlet hotel is a PR misnomer. It should be swiftlet coop or sty or shed. Anyway something that connotates smell, effluent, mossies and flies.

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Last year one of my local friends moved out from his parents' house in Georgetown. It's one of those heritage shop houses that's very long (front to the back) with a courtyard in the center. I visited them last Christmas and had a tour of the house, beautiful and plenty of spare rooms. He called and even wrote to the city to complain, but no action taken so far. Now,only the old couple lives there as my friend couldn't sleep everyday because some one started a swiftlet hotel nearby and he kept hearing this high pitched noise that those breeders broadcast to attract the birds 
I'm not sure if the city is going to do any thing now that Penang is in the UNESCO Heritage list

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hi, BB,

Thanks for the caution. I had thought that buying/renting a Penang shophouse would be a good idea. However, having seen what has happened to places like Taiping (the birdhouse capital of Perak) I've decided that life's too short for such a hassle. It's one reason that I'm selling my townhouse in the Algarve (apart from needing the money).

Life in a town is just too stressful. Too many people too close, too many cars, too much noise 24/7, too many swiftletsheds. And on the Algarve, it's pavement to pavement doggie turds.

regards, Scott

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Sorry if this is a dumb question

but

What about the lifts - elevators in these high rises - how reliable are they - any bad experiences anyone?  -  and if you was stuck in the lift is there anyone at the end of the emergency phone and if so would they be able to find the appropriate person to deal with the problem

Cheers

JJ

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[size=12]pt]Keep swiftlet farms out of George Town[/size]

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/7/16/focus/21820265&sec=focus

I HOPE the Penang state government and the local authorities will finally take a serious look into the swiftlet farming practice that has been going on for the past 10 years.

Many pre-war houses in George Town have been turned into swiftlet farms following the hollowing out of inner George Town after the repeal of the Rent Control Act in 1999.

Ask anyone who has the misfortune of staying near one of these swiftlet farms and you would hear complaints ranging from the incessant bird noise from speakers used to attract the swiftlets, unpleasant chemical smells from bird attractants, increased mosquitoes from the stagnant water pools in the farms, bird droppings and other health concerns.

Many complaints have been made to the city council but so far their enforcement has been inconsistent. Some swiftlet farms were raided after residents complained, but once the commotion quietened down, the farm operators were back at it again.

I was told the previous Gerakan Government had approved a directive to allow a three-year grace period for the swiftlet farms to move out of city areas but whether this has been strictly enforced or not is up to anyone’s guess.

As I know, many swiftlet farms still operate with impunity disregarding residents’ discomfort and concerns.

To reverse the decay of George Town, the state government should make it more dynamic and liveable. The recent Unesco Heritage Site listing is a step in the right direction. Declaring the city area off-limits to swiftlet farms should be another.

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Another angle on the subject from today's Star:

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/7/31/focus/21941583&sec=focus

Thursday July 31, 2008

Unfair to swiflet farms

I NOTE with great interest the letter by ML “Keep swiftlet farms out of George Town” (The Star, July 16) and other letters printed by your paper over the last two months which have painted a negative picture about the swiftlet farming industry in Malaysia in general as well as in Penang in particular.

These complaints provide very negative and one-sided views that level accusations against the mostly law-abiding and dedicated SME businessmen who are contributing to the swiftlet farming industry in the country.

Swiftlet farming in Malaysia is governed by the Guidelines for the Application of Premise Licences for Swiftlet Farming Businesses (Garis Panduan Permohonan Lesen Premis Purusahaan Sarang Burung Walit) that was issued and published by the Housing and Local Government Ministry in October 2005 to regulate the industry.

Based on these guidelines, the Federal Government actively permits and encourages swiftlet farming to be carried out in any building (except for Heritage Buildings classified as Category 1 buildings) located within any legally gazetted commercial area as stated in the structure plans of each and every state.

At the same time, the guidelines also contain requirements and detailed prohibitions as to the operations of these swiftlet farms that have been so licensed. For example, the decibel levels of the swiftlet mating sounds emitted by outside speakers must be 40 decibels and below measured exactly six meters from the lateral direction of the said speakers and the hours of operations must be between 7am and 7pm only.

The hollowing out of George Town in the state of Penang due to the repeal of the Rent Control Act back in 1998 has resulted in many pre-war buildings becoming abandoned, resulting in decay due to the lack of care and maintenance.

Relying on these guidelines, many SME businessmen in the state have invested a large amount of money to purchase such buildings. They renovated and improved the structures of these buildings and have fortified the security to carry out swiftlet farming.

These SME businessmen have, solely by their own efforts, significantly contributed to the slowing down of the urban decay of abandoned pre-war buildings in the state and at the same time helped protect the surrounding buildings from fires and other fatal nuisances that may be caused by drug addicts and other trespassers.

The three-year grace period for the moving out of swiftlet farms from George Town highlighted in ML’s letter does not exist under the guidelines. Any swiftlet farm that is operating from any gazetted commercial zone and in direct compliance with the many detailed requirements as stated in the guidelines is completely legal.

There is, however, a three-year grace period for swifltet farms that operate in residential zones. The SMI Association of Penang fully supports and encourages the Government to move these farms out of residential areas.

To pressure the state and the local authorities to move out SME businessmen who have established swiftlet farming businesses in George Town that fully comply with the requirements of the guidelines by the end of 2008 not only ignores the economic benefits and its associated multiplier effects that have been contributed by these investments to the state, but is also illegal as such investments were made in those areas that are actively encouraged under the guidelines for the establishment of swiftlet farms.

Under the guidelines, stagnant pools of water are prohibited, the decibel levels of swiftlet mating sounds are already predetermined and cleanliness and hygiene levels properly described for all swiftlet farm operators to follow.

DR KENNETH KHOO,
Secretary-General,
SMI Association of Penang.