Batu Kawan
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Batu Kawan 峇都交湾 |
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| Town | |
Batu Musang Jetty
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 Batu Kawan
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| Coordinates: 5°15′0″N 100°25′0″E / 5.25000°N 100.41667°E | |
| Country | Malaysia |
| State | Penang |
| District | South Seberang Perai |
| Government | |
| • Member of Parliament | Kasthuriraani a/p Patto (DAP) |
| • Tuan Yang Di-Pertua MPSP | Maimunah binti Mohd Sharif |
| Time zone | Malaysian Standard Time (UTC+8) |
| • Summer (DST) | Not observed (UTC) |
| Postal code | 14100 |
Batu Kawan is an island and a town in the area of Penang, Malaysia. The island is situated off Seberang Perai, which is on the mainland. The island is separated from the mainland by Sungai Jejawi and Sungai Tengah.
Batu Kawan was long considered a quiet backwater, noted for sugar-cane, coconut and rubber plantations in the 19th century, before changing to oil palm plantations in the middle 20th century, which have now mainly fallen into disrepair. It was among the oldest towns in Penang, accessible only by ferry from Bukit Tambun.
Development of the island has come under intense scrutiny after the government chose Batu Kawan as the mainland site for a major industrial area and the third satellite town of George Town, Penang after Bayan Lepas and Seberang Jaya. New industrial sites, commercial areas and residential schemes are expected to be developed in Batu Kawan town. Besides that, Batu Kawan is heading towards a bustling industrial hub just like the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Park and the Prai Industrial Area. Three big companies — Robert Bosch, Boon Siew Honda and VAT Manufacturing Malaysia — have pledged investments totalling about RM10bil to site their manufacturing plants in this town.
Apart from that, the Penang state government announced an ambitious plan to build 11,800 medium-cost housing units under its RM2.7bil Bandar Cassia Affordable Housing Scheme, which would be modelled after Singapore’s Housing and Development Board (HDB) housing schemes.
This area has also become a strategic location for the Penang Second Bridge which links Batu Kawan and Batu Maung on Penang Island. The bridge has sparked various economic activities including the mushrooming of new housing projects. Many people from Penang island are buying properties in Batu Kawan since the price is believed to be cheaper than that of the island.
The island is also the location for the Batu Kawan Stadium, Penang's state stadium. When the land in Batu Kawan was acquired by the state investment arm, Penang Development Corporation (PDC) some 30 years ago, large tracts of land were cleared including for the construction of the state stadium. The stadium project and the setting up of an industrial estate were one of the early stages for the development of Batu Kawan.
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Wikipedia