MBW Bay phase 1 completed, marks milestone in abandoned housing revival

• The Florian Residences project had previously stalled before being revived in 2024 by a subsidiary of MB World Group Bhd, with financing support from OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Bhd. A total of 388 units were completed in this first phase.
• The freehold project comprises a total of eight apartment towers spread across three interconnected podiums, offering 2,003 residential units including 15 penthouses. Unit sizes range from 46 to 100 sq m.

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 12): The first phase of the MBW Bay development—Florian Residences Tower 7 and 8—has been officially completed and handed over to buyers.

According to a press release on Thursday, the key handover ceremony took place on Dec 9 during the “Program Sentuhan Kejayaan KPKT 2025 Jabatan Perumahan Negara”, held at the project site in Danga Bay, Johor Bahru. It was officiated by Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming.

The Florian Residences project had previously stalled before being revived in 2024 by a subsidiary of MB World Group Bhd, with financing support from OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Bhd. A total of 388 units were completed in this first phase.

The freehold project comprises a total of eight apartment towers spread across three interconnected podiums, offering 2,003 residential units including 15 penthouses. Unit sizes range from 46 to 100 sq m.

Facilities include one of Johor Bahru’s longest residential swimming pools, landscaped gardens, a gymnasium, basketball court and children’s playground.

The second and third phases are targeted for completion by end-2026 and 2027, respectively.

Speaking at the event, Nga commended MB World Group as one of the nation’s leading developers in reviving abandoned housing schemes. To date, the group and its affiliated companies have been involved in the rehabilitation of nearly 16,000 residential units across the country.

MB World executive director Lester Ng said the group was honoured to be recognised by the ministry as a key “white knight” developer.

“We are deeply honoured to be acknowledged by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government as a leading ‘white knight’ developer in the nation. Assisting the community in realising their dream of home ownership is profoundly significant to us. Seeing the purchasers finally receive the keys to their homes, which were once abandoned, brings us immense honour and satisfaction,” said Ng.

“We are thrilled to see the completion of the first phase of MBW Bay and look forward to collaborating with the ministry on more revival projects in the future.”

Elsewhere, the group’s revival of the 278-unit Mertajam Heights in Bukit Mertajam, Penang, is expected to reach completion in the first quarter of 2026.

MB World Group marks its 10th anniversary in 2026, during which several other key developments are also due for handover, including Trellis Residences (1,302 units), Aura 1 double-storey terraced homes (134 units), Aville Residences (1,046 units), Pandan Heights (1,012 units) and Idaman Heights (1,256 units).

Its ongoing pipeline includes Avenue Residences, Permas Heights, Veranda Residences (Phase 2), MBW Boulevard 1 and further phases within the MBW Bay and MBW Cove mixed-use developments.

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