Georgetown UNESCO Heritage City - The Buffer Zone

The Buffer Zone
The Georgetown Heritage City is divided into Core Zone and Buffer Zone. The Buffer Zone can be divided into 4 lines, the area within the 4 lines is the buffer zone.

The Buffer zone is bordered by:

1. West line: Transfer Road,
2. South line : Prangin Road, Prangin Road Ghaut into the sea.
3. East line: Same as the West line of Core Zone
4. North line: From the T junction of Transfer Road/Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah(Northem Road) to the SXI(St Xavier Institution)field.


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The buffer zone boundary line follows the historic waterway of 19th century George Town,namely the Transfer Road Ditch and the Prangin Canal. Transfer Road Ditch no longer exists, the Prangin Canal is now all covered, it starts from the Sia bui or Prangin Road Wholesale Market to the Masjid Titi Papan, Burmah Road.

West line

From North Beach, draw a line to join with Transfer Road (Jalan Transfer). Sri Bahari Road (Jalan Sri Bahari) is in the buffer zone. Hutton Lane, Argyll Road (Jalan Argyll) is bisected into two halves. Keramat Dato Koyah is within the buffer zone. Penang Police Headquarter(Penang Road), and Chowrasta Market is in the buffer zone.

South Line

At the junction of Transfer Road and Burmah Road (Jalan Burmah), the boundary line turns southeast. It follows Burmah Road to Penang Road (Jalan Penang), then cross into Prangin Road (Jalan Dr Lim Chwee Leong). Masjid Titi Papan and Loke Thye Kee are in the buffer zone. Komtar and Prangin Mall are outside the buffer zone, not within the heritage city area. Su Beng Clinic is within Buffer Zone. Sia-buay or Prangin Road Wholesale market(since demolished) is not within heritage zone.

The boundary line continues along Prangin Road, cutting Beach Street into halves, down Prangin Road Ghaut (Gat Jalan Prangin) and straight out into the sea.

East line
Same as the West line of Core Zone. The line just divided the Core and Buffer zones.

North line

It actually follow the sea shore of the island. From the T junction of Transfer Road/Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah(Northem Road) to the SXI field.

E&O Hotel is in the core zone. Shi Chung Branch School is in the buffer zone.

SXI in buffer zone, Convent Light Street in Core Zone.

Heritages outside UNESCO Core & Buffer Zone

Heritage buildings outside the UNESCO zone areas, should be protected by other local guideline. It should be quickly gazetted , to avoid the buildings from demolished for development. But unfortunate state government has no power to gazette heritage buildings, it is federal power. It is hope the state government will at least protect the heritage by local law which provide MPPP or state government to gazette as state heritage.

We should explore the way to protect heritage buildings outside UNESCO heritage zone. There are still many colonial shop houses, outside the heritage city border.....