Penang targets October to gazette Seberang Perai 2030 local land-use plan

PETALING JAYA (July 13): Penang expects to gazette its first-ever Seberang Perai Local Plan 2030 (Rancangan Tempatan Seberang Perai 2030) by October this year, a move that is expected to formalise planning parameters and provide a statutory reference framework for future land-use and development decisions on the mainland.

Once in force, the local plan will become the key planning document used by the local planning authority in assessing future development and land-use proposals in Seberang Perai.

Gazettement timeline and planning framework

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said “the Seberang Perai Local Plan will be gazetted in a few more months, by October this year” after the public display process concluded, speaking to reporters following the officiating of the upgraded playground at Taman Mangga in Seberang Perai on July 10, 2026, according to a Malay Mail report.

He said the gazettement will chart the direction of physical development in Seberang Perai “to create a well-planned and orderly city, with optimal land use while safeguarding the interests of the community through balanced development”, and will provide a comprehensive framework that balances economic growth with the needs of local communities.

Under Malaysia’s planning system, local plans are statutory planning documents that translate the state structure plan into more detailed land-use policies and maps for local planning authorities.

Chow said the state remained committed to attracting investment and developing infrastructure but stressed that community facilities must be planned alongside economic expansion.

Rezoning applications to follow formal planning process

Chow said that once gazetted, applications to rezone land would become more structured and subject to statutory procedures, rather than being handled on an ad hoc basis. He explained that rezoning would still be allowed, “but not on an ad hoc basis as before”, with proposals required to follow “the same statutory process”, including public display and public hearings, before decisions are made.

Instead of considering individual rezoning applications as they are submitted, Chow said the state government intends to accumulate a substantial number of proposals before carrying out a formal review exercise, likely once every year or two, which he said would bring greater certainty and consistency to planning decisions.

Previous regulatory guidance and local plan timelines

The October 2026 target follows Chow’s earlier remarks reported by New Straits Times in October 2024, when he said the Penang Island and Seberang Perai local plans, both running to 2030, were in the process of being finalised and were expected to be gazetted the following year, with the Seberang Perai plan ahead of the island plan. Separately, Bernama reported in June 2025 that state local government and town and country planning committee chairman H’ng Mooi Lye announced rezoning applications in Seberang Perai submitted after June 30, 2025 would only be processed once the Draft Seberang Perai Local Plan 2030 (DRTSP 2030) is gazetted.

Planning reference

Upon gazettement, the Seberang Perai Local Plan will guide development control and land-use planning in Seberang Perai.

According to Chow and earlier statements by state officials, rezoning applications will continue to be permitted but will be assessed through the prescribed procedures rather than individually as they are submitted.

On the Penang Island Local Plan, Chow said it is being redone after weaknesses were found in the earlier draft, and that the revised plan will still need to undergo public display before it can proceed further; he expressed confidence that it will “definitely be completed before 2030, maybe within a year”.

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