Environmentalists are hoping that the land areas around the famed Tanjung Aru beach can be turned into a green icon for the state.
Sabah Environmental Protection Association (Sepa) president Wong Tack said the land next to the beach should be transformed into an eco-tourism zone.
With the High Court agreeing with the state’s decision to terminate a tourism development project on the 52ha site in Tanjung Aru, Wong said efforts must be made to rebuild the ecosystem in the area and convert it into a green lung for people in the city.
Wong said proper planning was important once all legal matters were sorted out.
“We will suggest that all stakeholders, the people of Kota Kinabalu, NGOs and other relevant parties get together and look at the best options,” he said yesterday.
Sepa was confident that green development would attract tourists as well as sustainable businesses, Wong said, adding that construction should be minimal to preserve the beachfront.
“Big resorts can be built on the outskirts of the city,” he added.
On July 1, Kota Kinabalu High Court Judicial Commissioner Stephen Chung Hian Guan ruled in favour of the state government to terminate the project and rejected a RM589mil suit filed by developer Paramaha Enterprise Sdn Bhd and 11 other companies.
The High Court decision on July 1 returned 52ha of beachfront land in Tanjung Aru to the state government that was alienated to the companies for a resort development project on May 25, 1996.
Paramaha is appealing the decision.
The state also won a case in which an arbitration court dismissed a RM1.7bil suit against a state-owned company that rescinded a joint-venture agreement with two companies to develop about 162ha of sea land off Kampung Tanjung Aru Laman and Sembulan that was signed on April 4, 1997.
