The Tanjong Bunga Residents’ Association has rejected the state government’s account that only one issue over the Sore Thumb coastal park remains open, saying four substantive concerns are still on the table.
Zairil Khir Johari, who chairs the state infrastructure, transport and digital committee, said the developer One Tanjong Management Corporation agreed at a meeting on 27 Oct to include two public access routes, sufficient parking bays and native coastal planting in the park plan. “Of all the issues raised by residents, only one remains unresolved,” he said in a statement reported by FMT on 4 Nov.
The association, which campaigns under the Save Sore Thumb banner, said that reading of the 27 Oct meeting does not match its position. “These are not minor differences over landscaping preferences. They concern the preservation of the natural promontory, its mature vegetation, wildlife habitat and public beach,” it wrote in a statement published by The Sun on 5 Nov.
Its four outstanding objections: no cutting back any part of the promontory or removing mature trees on the hill, which the association says will cause soil erosion; no retaining walls on the public beach above the mean high-water mark, which it says will drive beach erosion; no parking cut into the hillside, with the existing roundabout area studied instead; and no concrete jogging tracks or recreational structures at the toe of the promontory, which it wants kept as an undisturbed wildlife refuge.
Zairil questioned the residents’ protest outside the state assembly building on 3 Nov, where members displayed banners and 3D models of the current and proposed park. “With only one issue remaining unresolved and due to be discussed in two weeks, it is fair to ask whose interests are being championed through the protest at this stage,” The Star quoted him saying. He added that the park is being built at no cost to taxpayers, must pass safety and environmental checks, and will be open to everyone once complete.
The unresolved item is due at a meeting on 16 Nov convened by the State Legal Adviser’s Office and involving One Tanjong, PLANMalaysia, the Penang Island City Council and the drainage and irrigation department. The matter also sits before an appeals board, with the next hearing set for 19 Nov.
The association also raised a conflict of interest question. Citing SSM records, it said Ng Wee Hean is a director and majority shareholder of Aptitude Consulting Engineers, and a shareholder of Lone Pine Residence through Summer Esplanade. “When both the consultant and the developer are related parties, there is a clear conflict of interest,” the statement said. It asked the state to place engineers from NGOs such as SAM and the association itself on the design team, to propose less intrusive ways to stabilise and strengthen the slope.
On the process, the association said residents were not given the chance to present their own nature park proposal, formally submitted to the state government in February 2026, at the 27 Oct meeting. It has requested a slot to present that proposal to Zairil, PLANMalaysia and the relevant agencies before the final design is decided, and welcomed his assurance that the state’s doors remain open.
The association pointed to the Paya Terubong tragedy and the 2018 Bukit Kukus landslide as evidence of the cost of slope failures, and said those incidents make independent scrutiny more necessary. It also quoted the Chief Minister’s Facebook post after meeting residents on 6 Nov 2025: “We had a constructive discussion on efforts to preserve the area’s greenery and natural assets. The state remains committed to supporting green initiatives.”
The park is a condition of planning approval for a five-storey wellness suite project on Lot 4658, adjacent to the promontory, and must be built before private construction begins. The association closed its statement with a call to save Sore Thumb, preserve its natural character and keep the beach public.
