TOWN HALL MEETING DISCUSSES PROPOSED CONSTRUCTION OF A FOUR-STOREY PRIVATE COLUMBARIUM NEAR JALAN BENDAHARA

IPOH, 31 JANUARY 2026 – Ipoh City Council (MBI) organised a Town Hall Meeting to discuss the proposed construction of a four-storey private columbarium near Jalan Bendahara.

The project, submitted by OPL Synergy Sdn. Bhd., involves development on approximately 4.58 acres of privately owned land, covering Lot 15402 to Lot 15408 and Lot 15395.

The meeting was held at the SJK (C) Sam Chai Auditorium from 2.30 pm to 5.00 pm and was attended by about 170 residents from the surrounding areas.

Also present at the briefing session were Ipoh Timur Member of Parliament Howard Lee Chuan How, Pasir Pinji Assemblyman Goh See Hua, City Councillor Clr Jayden Lim, TPr. Zainal Abd. Hamid and senior officers of MBI.

The organisation of this town hall meeting was a follow-up to the objections raised by residents of Taman Bendahara and Prima Paloh against the proposed development of the columbarium.

MBI informed that based on the Ipoh Local Plan 2035, the proposed project is in accordance with the designated planning zone and land-use classification.

From the approval process perspective, the project has gone through the stages of Planning Permission, Earthworks Plan, Road Plan and Building Plan. The application was also referred to the Perak Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIPk) and received a ‘no objection’ comment, as the proposed development site is located adjacent to the Jalan Bendahara Muslim Cemetery.

However, local residents voiced several concerns, including the columbarium being too close to residential areas, potential depreciation of property values, approvals being granted without prior consultation with the local community, as well as issues related to customs and culture such as feng shui, and emotional disturbance and discomfort from living near a columbarium.

The majority of residents present expressed their disagreement with the proposal and planned to hold further discussions with the developer and MBI. They also conveyed their intention to submit a formal objection through legal channels.