Sime Darby Property Invests RM15mil To Enhance Security

The Star: 22 July 2009

PETALING JAYA: Sime Darby Property Bhd wants to change the concept of developing properties by putting safety and security as the top criteria to gain buyers’ confidence.

President and group chief executive Datuk Seri Ahmad Zubir Murshid said the group had so far invested about RM15mil to enhance the security and safety at its existing townships and would extend the concept to its other new township developments.

“Ara Damansara township will be the role model for this concept of security and safety and we plan to introduce this concept in our future developments,” he said yesterday at the launch of the Safe City Initiative and the launch of Ara Damansara police station.

Zubir said the group had invested about RM4mil alone for security and safety measures in Ara Damansara that included building the new police station, closed circuit television surveillance system, manned guard houses at each entry point and three cars for the police to do patrolling.

He added that in responding to the Government’s call to create a safer living environment for its citizens, Sime Darby Property was making an effort to transform Ara Damansara into one of the safest townships in the country.

On the group’s business performance this year, Zubir said it might not be as good as last year’s performance.

“Last year, the (high) price of crude palm oil (CPO) contributed strongly to the group. Nevertheless, this year, our other divisions will offset the low CPO price to achieve our expectation for this year,” he said.

On the group’s venture in Weifang prefecture in China, he said a team had been sent to do a study before drawing up a proper master plan.

“Initially, the size of this development project spanned about 700 sq km but our team found that it is actually about 100 sq km. It will be a mixed development project but we don’t know yet its gross development value at this moment,” he said.

It was reported last month that China had offered Sime Darby a multi-billion dollar property development project in the Weifang prefecture city in Shandong measuring 700 sq km.