The Star, Friday March 16, 2012

Bangi’s new business hub

THE Andaman Group and the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) officially launched the Sentral@Bangi CBD project at the Andaman Bangi sales gallery in Bandar Baru Bangi recently.

Located along Persiaran Kemajuan, Sentral@Bangi CBD is on 5.44ha of leasehold land and comprises two phases. The first phase is a commercial centre development while the second phase will be a mall.

The eight-block commercial centre offers 86 shoplots.

Artist impression: The 86 shop office units will be connected to the shopping centre via a covered pedestrian sky-bridge.

 

The mall is expected to be the recreation, leisure and entertainment hub of Bangi.

The price range for Sentral@Bangi CBD commercial and business centre development is from RM2.15mil to RM5.5mil per unit.

All units come with individual lift (first of its kind in Bangi).

Andaman Group sales and marketing director Datuk Vincent Tiew said they had received good response for the project.

“Around 70% of the shoplots and offices have already been sold,” he said.

“Sentral@Bangi CBD is a comprehensive commercial and business hub, in that it not only offers shops and offices for sale. There is also a modern shopping centre with a proposed cineplex and a bowling centre. This is truly, genuinely the last most prime commercial land in Bangi,” said Tiew.

The 86 shop office units will be connected to the shopping centre via a covered pedestrian sky-bridge. The space between the shops and shopping centre will feature a street mall promenade with lush green landscaping, creating a sustainable eco-friendly ambience for visitors and shoppers.

Closer to nature: The development will feature lush green landscaping, creating a sustainable ecofriendly ambience for visitors and shoppers

 

From Kuala Lumpur, the Sentral@Bangi CBD is accessible via the North-South Expressway, exiting from the Kajang interchange. It is also closer to the neighbouring Kajang and Semenyih towns with direct connection to Putrajaya and Cyberjaya.

Travelling time from the Sungei Besi toll to the Bangi town centre is a mere 10 minutes’ drive.

The Star, Friday March 16, 2012

More waiting for cinemas in Bangi

SEVERAL Bangi residents were unhappy over the ban of a proposed cinema in the area.

One of them is Mohd Nasir, a 50-year-old doctor is all for a cinema in Bangi.

“The films shown in Malaysian cinemas are censored and a cinema is a family-friendly place.

 Every month, I will go to the cinema in the city centre with my children. I think the society is matured enough,” he said.

Rejected: A commercial development in Section 15, Bangi, where the proposed cinema was supposed to be located contructed.

 

Another Bangi resident Mustapha Kamil said while it was not a hassle to travel to cinemas in Alamanda Putrajaya or The Mines, he did not understand the necessity for a ban.

“If someone wants to do something immoral, he or she can do it anywhere. There are more people who want to just enjoy a movie than to commit immoral activities in the cinema.

“There was a cinema in Warta (a superstore in Bangi) about three years ago but there were complaints from residents and politicians,” he said.

UKM student Ng Swee Fein, a 22-year-old from Muar, said it was inconvenient for her to go to Balakong for a movie as she did not have her own transport.

However, the inconvenience was more because of the lack of public transport than the distance.

“If Bangi has a cinema, I hope there will be a bus route to it,” she said.

Kajang Municipal Council president Datuk Hasan Nawawi Abd Rahman said: “It is the council’s role to approve building plans and issue licences, not the assemblyman. However, since the issue has been politicised, we will leave it to the state to decide.”

Hulu Langat MP Dr Che Rosli Che Mat (PAS) said it was up to Bangi residents whether to have a cinema or not.

Meanwhile in was reported in The Star earlier that Bangi assemblyman Dr Shafie Abu Bakar said it was his constituents and not PAS who had objected to a cinema in his constituency.

He added that a cinema was not in line with Islamic values and would lead to vice activities.

Dr Abdul Halim Tamuri, who has been living in Bangi since 1987, supports the ban as he felt that there should not be too many entertainment outlets in Bangi.

“Bangi is a Bandar Ilmu (knowledge town). There are many education institutions here such as Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Selangor International Islamic University College and Teacher’s Training Institute and there should not be many distractions for the students.

“We already have bowling centres (one in Kompleks Diamond) and there are entertainment outlets in Kajang and Putrajaya,” said the UKM lecturer who teaches Islamic education.

The Star, Friday March 16, 2012

New cineplex helps Shah Alam residents cut travel time

GOING for a movie had never been easier for Mohd Zam Abdul Rahman and his family whose house is only 7km away from the newly-opened MBO cineplex in Space@U8, Shah Alam.

The father of three said he used to travel double that distance from his home near Kampung Melayu Subang to treat his children a weekend movie.

“We used to drive to malls like Sunway Pyramid, Subang Parade or The Curve in Mutiara Damansara but we hardly do that now,” he said.

Nearer to home: Movie-goers buying tickets at the cineplex.

 

Mohd Zam’s wife Fatimah Isa agreed that they no longer need to worry about finding a parking spot or if they needed to get to the shopping malls early.

Students, Mohd Izuan Shah and Mohd Ridwan Anuar, who frequent the shopping mall often, said they preferred watching movies at Space@U8 as it was only “a walking distance” from their homes.

“We use to travel to Klang to watch movies but now with the cineplex near our house we do not need to travel far anymore,” said Izuan, who visits the cineplex twice a week.

Another resident Koe Kim Leong, said he heard about the cinema from his neighbours but had yet to visit the place.

“It is good to have a cinema near my house and now I can drop by anytime to watch a movie,” he said.

What to watch: (From right) Mohd Zam with his son Mohd 

Fikri Afiq, Fatimah and daughter Nuriffa Haziqah taking a look at the movie posters that are on display at the cineplex.

 

The new shopping mall in Space@U8 in Bukit Jelutong opened its doors late last year with the MBO cineplex as one of its anchor tenants.

Located at the top floor of the three-storey complex, the cineplex has become an instant hit among residents.

“We wanted to explore Shah Alam as there were no other cinemas there at that time, and we believe that the people staying and working here will benefit from having a cinema in the area,” said Mcat Box Office marketing communications manager Christina Yeo.

When asked if the movies screened were selected based on the demographic of the residents in Shah Alam, Yeo said: “We do not have a specific target market, although Shah Alam has a higher percentage of Malay residents. We will still screen a wide variety of English, Malay and Chinese titles.”

During a recent visit to the cineplex, it was noted that the screening times begin at 2pm with occasional midnight movie screenings.

Yeo said the late screening times was due to the traffic flow near the mall during the day.

“In due time, as traffic flow increases, we will adjust our show times accordingly to meet demand,” she said.

Although there are a number of malls in the city, namely Plaza Alam Sentral, SACC Mall, Plaza Shah Alam, Ole-Ole Seksyen 18, Anggerik Mall and the PKNS Complex but none had a cinema.

Despite Shah Alam being declared as capital of Selangor in 1978, so far only entertainment outlets such as bowling and karaoke outlets as well as an outdoor theme park are available.

“We are happy that residents are welcoming smaller cinemas in Shah Alam where they can spend quality time with their children and family during the weekends,” said Shah Alam mayor Datuk Mohd Jaafar Mohd Atan.

He added that the council had received numerous applications from companies which intended to open cinemas.

However, only those situated out of the city centre and had adhered to the requirements would be approved.

The council’s One Stop Centre director Mohd Rusli Dalim said the second cinema in the city would be at the Setia City Mall.

Mohd Rusli said the yet-to-be-opened mall in Setia Alam would house nine halls which would cater to a larger audience.

Well, we have a again a clash of ideals. Who is right and who is wrong? I suppose both are right and wrong....maybe PAS should not worry too much about this and provide better control on what is to be shown or not. Then, maybe both sides and come to a compromise.

We have to learn to work things out as there will be a wide range of differences to be bridged. It can only be done successfully if both sides come with an open mind rather than a fixed predetermined decision already.

We should also allow such protest for parties to voice their opinion but it must be done in a peaceful manner and not disturb or inconvenient the public.

Until the next time, cheers.

The Star, Wednesday October 19, 2011

Cinema still a no-no in Bangi

PAS has again rejected plans for a cinema in Section 15, Bangi, saying there will be films not in line with Islamic and eastern values.

Bangi residents who want to watch a movie have to travel 18km away to the nearest cinema in Alamanda Putrajaya in Putrajaya or 25km away to the Aeon Cheras Selatan Shopping Centre in Balakong.

Kampung Aman Bangi Federal Village Security and Development Committee (JKKKP) member Law Siong Deng, an avid moviegoer, said he had looked forward to finally having a cinema in Bangi and was disappointed when he found out that it had not been approved.

“I had always hoped for a cinema here so that we do not have to travel far. It can cater to the students of UKM, Mara and other education institutions in the area.

Dissapointed lot: Residents Satia Nathan, William Wong, Hoh Kok Wong, Tan Siew Giok and Edwin Goh protesting against the rejection of plans for a cinema in Bangi.

 

“There was a cinema in Warta but only Malay movies were screened. We hope that companies like GSC or TGV would set up a branch here and provide more variety for cinema-goers,” he said.

Taman Permai Bangi resident K. Satia Nathan, who enjoys Tamil movies, heard about plans for a cinema in the new commercial centre last week and was also disappointed that it had been rejected.

“I go to the movies twice a month with my friends or my wife.

“It would be great to have one in Bangi so I do not have to drive 30 minutes to Metro Point in Kajang,” he said.

Bangi state assemblyman Dr Shafie Abu Bakar from Pas said a few years ago there were plans to have a cinema in Komplex Warta in Jalan Medan Bangi, Kawasan Perusahaan Bangi and near the district office.

“Both plans were rejected and earlier this year there was another proposal to build a cinema in Jalan Reko.

“Six of us protested, including me and Kajang municipal councillors in Bangi. We want to uphold Islamic values.

“Having a cinema will lead to vice activities and there will be films not in line with Islamic and eastern values.

“We do not want that here to corrupt the minds of our young,” he said.

Dr Shafie said most Bangi residents were against having a cinema in Bangi.

“Among those who want a cinema here are people looking to make a profit whereas we are looking out for the society,” he said.

When pointed out that there are movies with the “U” (for general public) rating, he countered that this was not a guarantee.

“We have to monitor it, hence it is best to not have it at all.

“Besides, there are cinemas not far from Bangi. We want our place clean, free from such elements,” he said.

A lot to offer: An advertisement on the project in Section 15, Bangi.

 

Datuk Mohd Zaidi Md Zain, who lives in Section 3, Bangi, agreed that it is not wise to have a cinema in Bangi.

“There was a cinema in Bangi but it closed down eventually as there was no support from the people.

“This is not a political issue but the sentiments of the people. With academic institutions in Bangi, we worry about social problems should a cinema be built here,” he said.

Law said he disagreed with the statement that certain films can corrupt the minds of the young.

“It seems that we are moving back in time. Vice activities can happen anywhere.

“Just because there is no cinema does not mean that there will not be vice activities in the area.

“Others should not be deprived of watching a movie. It is just a cinema and a place families can go to, not just couples,” he said.

Bangi state coordinator Datuk Mohd Fathil Daud, who is also the Serdang Umno chief, shared his sentiment and agreed that having a cinema would be good for the community as Bangi residents do not have to travel far.

“With or without the cinema, vice activities will still take place,” he said.

When contacted, the director of the project’s developer, Richard Cheong, said he had no idea of the ban on the proposal for a cinema at the commercial project.

“I have heard of the ban on cinemas in Bangi, though. We do not have plans for a cinema at this stage,” he said.

The five-block commerical project includes a four-storey supermarket and office blocks.