SEPANG: The Selangor government is in a quandary whether to go ahead with a RM4bil project to turn the Sepang district coastline into a beach resort to rival the Gold Coast in Australia.

Senior state officials said the recent attention given by Federal leaders and the public on environmental protection had caused the State Executive Council to review the project which covers a massive 1,492ha.

“The exco members are at a loss. The Sepang Gold Coast project is one of the biggest the state has ever planned to undertake and will transform the economic outlook of Sepang district and its surroundings.

“Under the proposal, the beachfront development can rival the Queensland Gold Coast or even Miami Beach in Florida when completed,” said an official familiar with the discussions.

The project hit another snag three weeks ago when contractors got into trouble with the local authorities for carrying out piling works without following procedures. Based on this, the Sepang district council issued a stop-work order.

The project, which will see the development of the beaches from Bagan Lalang to Tanjung Sepat, is a joint venture between state investment company Permodalan Negri Selangor Bhd and Sepang Bay Sdn Bhd.

Top-ranking officers of CNI International, a multi-level marketing company with worldwide membership involving 1.3 million households, form Sepang Bay.

A senior state officer said the project had been discussed several times in the weekly state exco meetings. It is believed environmental concerns were raised during the meetings, including the danger of land reclamation damaging the eco-system in the area and the eventual destruction of mangrove swamps to make way for various attractions in Sepang Gold Coast.

The exco members had even deliberated downsizing the ambitious project to about 200ha. It was suggested the project owners construct a palm-shaped tourist destination, comprising a long catwalk into the sea and branching out as water chalets, restaurants and handicraft centres.

The proposal would mean that there would be no land reclamation and fewer disturbances to the mangrove swamps. The stop-work order was issued after the council discovered that the contractors had not adhered to conditions set under the temporary work permit issued by the council to allow for the construction of the “water chalets.”

The contractors had also allegedly failed to build an information centre, a handicraft kiosk and placed piling materials improperly.

Council president Mohd Arif Abdul Rahman confirmed that piling works had stopped. It was also learnt that the project owners had not obtained the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) approval from the Department of Environment before starting the piling works.

A state official said an EIA was required because the area was considered ecologically sensitive. The area is filled with mangrove swamps and is the only living delta in the state. It is also the only place in the state where rare clams can be found.

Fishermen near the proposed site claimed that the piling works had scared away fishes and crabs. “Many of us in Bagan Lalang are fishermen. Since piling began about a month ago, our catch has dwindled,” said Abdul Aziz Mat Abidin, 53.

State executive councillor in charge of environment Datuk Ch’ng Toh Eng, when contacted, said he had directed the DOE and the council to ensure no earthworks were carried out before the EIA approval.