BATU KAWAN

Batu Kawan used to be a small and sleepy town on the mainland of Penang. It is one of the oldest settlements in the state, and used to previously be known as Batucawan. This settlement is in fact so old, that there are evidence that it already existed in the 1700s.

Before its rise to fame, Batu Kawan was a quiet town that was renowned for its coconut, rubber and sugarcane estates, and oil palm estates in the 20th century. It is also a town that is famous for its seafood, where it is purported that visitors from the Penang Island also visit this town for its seafood.

But this small town has come a long way, with the construction of the second Penang Bridge. Since even before the completion of the second Penang Bridge, many major developers have been turning acquisitive eyes on the available land in this township.

Amongst some of the bigger scale developers are Eco World and Paramount Property. Local Penang developers are also moving into the region to create new townships, such as Aspen Vision City and Bandar Cassia, and a shopping mall like Design Village. The major Swedish furniture mall Ikea is also rumoured to be opening an outlet in Design Village.

There are also two high tech industrial parks being built here - the Batu Kawan Industrial Park and the Penang Science Park. But the crowning glory of Batu Kawan is indeed the 24 kilometres long bridge linking it to the Penang Island, costing RM4.5 billion.

These catalysts are expected to drive prices of property in Batu Kawan up. While the homes here are still very much more affordable as compared to across the bridge, it is expected to increase in price and value to match the properties across the bridge in the coming years as all its major developments are gradually completed.

Batu Kawan is located about 40 minutes from Georgetown, the capital of Penang. While the capital may be slightly further away, the Penang International Airport at Bayan Lepas is only half an hour away. Hence while those who are working in Georgetown may prefer to live in Seberang Perai on the mainland, Penangites working in Bayan Lepas will prefer to stay in Batu Kawan for a more affordable living.