The Star Online, March 28, 2005

PROPERTY TALK
By S. C. Cheah

MENTION the name YTL Land & Development Bhd and the following images may appear in one's mind:

In recent years, YTL Land (formerly known as Taiping Consolidated Bhd) carved a niche for itself as a reputable and innovative developer that has set a bold trend in new layout designs and concepts for its projects.

It started with Pantai Hillpark about a decade ago where the condominiums have a Spanish design and metal instead of wood was used for some of the roof trusses.

The roadsides were nicely landscaped and visitors greeted with a large entrance archway. Suddenly the area’s kampung image with roadside stalls was spruced up and thanks to Pantai Hillpark, people began to take notice of this laid-back area.

YTL Land then revived the stalled Sentul Raya project in Kuala Lumpur and in the process turned an old golf course there into a "green" residential enclave boasting Malaysia’s first gated private park with boating and recreational facilities. It has come to the rescue of purchasers of some uncompleted condominiums there by reviving their projects as well.

The ambitious 294-acre urban renewal project called Sentul East and Sentul West is set to transform this part of Sentul into a unique neighbourhood similar to New York’s SoHo. It has an estimated sales value of about RM8bil.

YTL Land then embarked on another project in Puchong called the Lake Edge. Again, it has made the best use of the existing natural attributes of the location and turned it into a private gated and guarded community with lots of recreational facilities to encourage a healthy lifestyle. Besides offering nice house designs, it also ensures that the pricing is reasonable.

The "overwhelming" response took YTL officials by surprise.

As YTL Corp Bhd deputy managing director Datuk Yeoh Seok Kian said: “Frankly, I didn’t expect the market to take it so well. We have a loyal following.”

Its Lake Edge Courtyard Homes had been sold out and last month it officially launched the Pavilion Terraces and Garden Terraces, 2-storey homes that had never been seen before in Puchong. They boast a 3,100-sq ft built-up area and priced from RM500,000.

These houses with a unique length of 100ft allow a family ample space for recreation. The Garden Terraces come with an outdoor jacuzzi that overlooks a 20ft garden, enabling one to create one’s very own private spa.

The concept was so well received that registered buyers snapped up nearly all of the pre-launched units during a private viewing.

Who would have thought that a disused mining lake in Puchong could have such an appeal to house buyers? The Lake Edge has enhanced the overall image of Puchong.

And now YTL Land’s latest project, the RM600mil Lake Fields in Sungei Besi (its fourth project in the Klang Valley), is also poised to transform another ex-mining lake into a successful residential enclave. Syarikat Pembenaan Yeoh Tiong Lay Sdn Bhd (a wholly-owned subsidiary of YTL Land) is developing the 184-acre leasehold project.

It is a gated development that comprises three-storey terraced houses adjacent to the five-star Palace of the Golden Horses Hotel.

Its unusually large built-up area creates a sense of generous space. It is also close to the Sungei Besi town and major shopping centres like the South City Plaza and the Mines Shopping Fair.

Residents of Lake Fields will enjoy such access roads as the Besraya Highway (a proposed elevated U-turn along the highway before the toll plaza will be developed soon), the Middle Ring Road 2, Kesas Highway and KL-Seremban Highway.

There are four main landscaped concepts: linear park, pocket parks, canal greens and water promenade. For example, the Water Promenade will feature a grassy pier and pontoon, terraced seating at the edge of the lake and curved footpaths that seamlessly blend with the green and water edges.

The Canal Green featuring panoramic landscaped streets that combine the element of flowing water and lush greenery is designed to encourage fitness activities like brisk walking and jogging.

Yeoh said the first batch of 238 units called the Meadows had been sold to staff of the YTL group and the Employees Provident Fund, the landowner. Three show houses have been built.

He said many of the buyers were residents from places like Cheras who wanted to upgrade their homes.

“We have not even officially launched the project yet and we are already over-subscribed by 10 to 12 times with over 3,000 registrants,” he said, adding that many of today’s house buyers liked the three-storey concept because of the extra space and privacy.

These three-storey homes have a generous built-up area from 2,512 sq ft and have four bedrooms and a maid’s room.

The living room has a ceiling height of 20ft and is column free, thus allowing for 50% more useable space. The master bedroom comes with an en suite bathroom fitted with ready-to-use fixtures and an adjacent study room.

Other extras include fitted kitchen cabinets, central water heating for all bathrooms, convenience of seven air-conditioning points, powder room on the ground floor ensuring added privacy and each unit comes with a terrace on the ground floor and two balconies on the second floor.

YTL Land assistant general manager Edward Lee said 70% of the second batch of 276 Meadow homes were sold recently despite a RM30,000 increase in the price. The first batch were priced from RM368,000 to RM392,000.