City of Melaka (Malacca) in Malaysia is a historic port city that still shows influences from its time of Portuguese, Dutch and British rule. The old city centre was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (with Georgetown, Penang) in July 2008.
Melaka is the capital of the state of Malacca, and like Penang there is more to Melaka than the old city area that tourists are familiar with.
Outside of Old Melaka are some big urban development projects, some of which are planned as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Melaka was fought over for centuries for its strategic location in the Straits of Malacca, and China is now pouring money into projects here to position itself as a trading hub.
Here are some of the major projects planned for Melaka.
Melaka Map
Map of Melaka projects.
Building Projects
Construction projects that are in planning or under construction in Melaka.
Melaka Gateway
Location: Jalan Pulau Melaka 1, Taman Pulau Melaka, Melaka.
Website: melakagateway.com
Facebook: @melakagatewayofficial
Developer: KAJ Development Sdn Bhd (KAJD)
Melaka Gateway is a mixed development project on three reclaimed islands and one natural island totalling 1,366 acres in the Straits of Malacca. The project encompasses a free trade zone, maritime high-tech park, the largest private marina in Southeast Asia, residential, and business zones.
The signature tower is the Gateway Beacon Tower (288-metres).
The project was launched 2014 with an expected final completion date of 2025. Since its initial launch the project has been plagued with controversies and delays.
News updates:
China’s Malacca dream shattered; Malaysia expels three Chinese firms from $10 billion infra project – [03/12/20]
Melaka state govt scraps $14 billion port project – [22/11/20]
“Developer calls termination unfair; govt says firm failed to complete reclamation works.”
In Malaysia, a gargantuan Chinese-backed development bites the dust – [19/11/20]
“The Melaka Gateway project has languished since the 2018 election, when large Chinese investments came under close scrutiny.”
Melaka plans to create new economic corridor worth RM100b – [25/08/20]
“The Melaka state government is planning to create a new economic corridor to attract high-impact investments, to be known as the Melaka Waterfront Economic Zone or M-Wez worth about RM100 billion.”
“M-Wez will comprise the Kuala Linggi International Port (KLIP) as the oil and gas industry services hub, the Tanjung Bruas Port as the container port and Melaka Gateway as the Melaka International Cruise Terminal (MICT).”
Inside the Belt And Road’s premier white elephant: Melaka Gateway – [31/01/20]
Melaka Gateway project continues but questions remain on feasibility – [11/10/19]
Melaka Gateway project is still ours, says KAJD – [01/02/19]
The Sail Melaka
Location: Lot 11725 & Lot 11728, Kawasan Bandar XLIV, Taman Kota Laksamana, Melaka.
Website: thesailmelaka.com
Developer: Sheng Tai International
The Sail Melaka is a landmark development that will comprise of 9 linked towers resembling “a regal fleet of ships”. In addition to residences, hotels, retail shops, and offices, it will have Melaka’s longest rooftop pool, sky garden, and sky bridge.
[The Sail – video walk-through.]
Impression City Melaka
Location: No. 3, Jalan KSB – Impression 8 Impression City @ Kota Syahbandar, Impression City, Melaka.
Website: impression-city.com
Developer: Yong Tai Berhad.
Impression City is a 138 acre integrated mixed development in Kota Laksamana, on the Straits of Malacca. The project will also include an international cruise terminal.
Cheng Ho City
Location: Klebang Besar, Melaka.
Website: chenghocity.com
Developer: Benalec Holdings Berhad.
Cheng Ho City (CHC) is a proposed development on 900 acres of reclaimed land in Klebang, Malacca. This mixed use project will include tourism, commercial and residential spaces.
Melaka Straits City
Location: Melaka Straits, Melaka.
Developers: China Wuyi and SWT International Sdn Bhd.
Design: CPG Corporation.
Melaka Straits City has been touted as the first block-chain city, where cash will be banned and payments made via DMIcoin blockchain tokens. The city will be built in the Malacca Straits with 635 acres of reclaimed land.
The project includes a national conference centre with a capacity for 20,000 people, a water theme park, concert halls, golf courses, tennis courts, and racetracks.
The news first appeared at FX Empire on 24 April, 2019 and it propagated across the internet on multiple cryptocurrency news sites without any further explanation.
While looking for more information about this project I found that none of the Malaysian news sites reported this. The only other site that gave this story some critical thought was Coinstelegram, who highlights on a map that there is nowhere to fit this project.
It could be that this project has taken over another project, such as Cheng Ho City. This one doesn’t make any sense and I doubt its legitimacy, but I am leaving it here for the public record.
Greenwood City
Location: Melaka.
Website: greenwoodcity.my
Greenwood City is a 10-acre development on the Straits waterfront, and it includes hotels, serviced apartments, office space and retail zones. The main building will be the tallest tower in Melaka
Harbour City
Location: 8, Jalan Pulau Melaka, Taman Pulau Melaka, Melaka.
Website: harbourcity.com.my
Harbour City is located on a mad-made island and will include hotels, a shopping mall, and a theme park.
News updates:
Harbour City: Is Melaka ready for a new mega development at this time? – [15/08/20]
Transport
Melaka High-speed Railway Station
Despite Melaka being a historical trading city and tourism destination, the original KL-Singapore railway runs down the middle of the peninsula and nowhere near Melaka.
The proposed Kuala Lumpur–Singapore high-speed rail will follow a different route to the current line, running closer to the west coast of the Peninsula.
There was a station planned at Ayer Keroh for Melaka, but it is now reported to be located somewhere between Durian Tunggal and Ayer Panas.
Malacca International Airport
Melaka has an international airport, though the airport is barely used. At the time of this post there was one international destination (Pekanbaru in Indonesia). It doesn’t help that Melaka is 136 km away from KLIA (the massive airport of Kuala Lumpur).
Its fortunes improved in 2019 when AirAsia launched its first domestic route from Melaka to Penang.
Melaka Aerorail
News: skyscrapercity.com
Wiki: Melaka Aerorail
The Melaka Aerorail (not to be confused with the Melaka Monorail) was a proposed hybrid monorail/cable-car public transport system. The project has since been deferred, though it was brought up again in 2019 by a KL-based company.
The original route had it starting inland at Ayer Keroh, which is where the high-speed railway station was going to be. If/when the new railway is built, this route should be reconsidered as metro railway line.
Links and resources
Malacca Aerorail Proposal – routes & stations (Update #1) – a good summary of the project and route.
Aerorail not the solution for Malacca traffic woes – [29/06/09]
Melaka Development News
“Let the land be”: culture, heritage, and economic development in Melaka – [28/10/22]
“Lacking faith in public and private institutions the Kristang community is taking matters in its own hands.”
KL-Singapore HSR will be a boon for Melaka, say economists – [20/11/21]
Melaka hopes HSR project will continue, says CM – [03/01/21]
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