GEORGE TOWN: Located within the heritage enclave here, the 140-year-old Town Hall building is set to undergo a total makeover to restore it to its glorious past.
At a cost of RM8 million, works on the Category 1 heritage building will take approximately 18 months to complete.
According to state Local Government Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo, work will be undertaken on the roof structure, floor, staircase and walls, and include the repainting and rearranging of the interior, as well as infrastructure works.
He assured the public that all works carried out will adhere strictly to heritage guidelines set following George Town's recognition as a Unesco World Heritage Site since July 2008.
"I am happy to stand here this morning to announce yet another major restoration work to one of the state's important landmarks. It is my hope to return back (here) after 18 months to celebrate the restoration works.
"It has always been the Penang government's commitment to seriously preserve all Category 1 heritage buildings here," he told newsmen outside the Town Hall building today.
Present was Penang Island City Council Mayor Datuk Yew Tung Seang.
The Town Hall is a British-built administrative building, located adjacent to the City Hall.
Completed in the 1880s, the Town Hall is the city's oldest municipal building, and once housed the Municipal Commission of George Town. It also functioned as a venue for social events for European elites during the colonial period.
However, its administrative function was taken over by City Hall upon the latter's completion in 1903.
The Town Hall was gazetted by the Malaysian National Museum as a historic monument in 1993, and was used as one of the filming locations for the 1999 film "Anna and the King".
Jagdeep said the project is part of a development scheme under the North Seafront Project, which has seen the restoration and conservation of the Esplanade field, the clock tower at Bulatan Padang Kota, the state legislative assembly building, the Fountain Garden; and includes ongoing works at Fort Cornwallis.
Yew said the Town Hall project will help stimulate the local economy which has been affected by to the Covid-19 pandemic.