No private land acquisition for Ipoh Sentral so far, says Perak MB

IPOH, Sept 8 — No land acquisition involving individual landowners has been carried out so far for the RM6.25 billion Ipoh Sentral development project, the Perak Legislative Assembly was told today.

Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said the project currently involves land that has been approved for use by the Railway Assets Corporation (RAC) for development purposes.

“For everyone’s information, as of now, the Ipoh Sentral project does not involve the acquisition of land belonging to any individuals,” he said.

He added that the Perak Land and Mines Department (PTG) had also not received any notice or proposal for land acquisition related to the Ipoh Sentral development, including land around the Buntong constituency, which is located near the project area.

Saarani was replying to a supplementary question from Buntong assemblyman Thulsi Manogaran, who asked whether the project would involve the acquisition of privately owned land, resulting in property owners having to relocate.

Instead, Saarani said the project was expected to have a direct positive impact on residents in the Buntong constituency, given its location bordering Ipoh city centre.

“The implementation of the Ipoh Sentral project began with the construction of a landscape park in early 2026, followed by the construction of a mosque starting at the end of 2026, with the construction period expected to take two years.

“This will be followed by the planned development of an integrated terminal and shopping centre, which is scheduled to begin in 2027 and take between five and six years to complete,” he said.

“Meanwhile, the residential development phase is targeted to begin in 2028. Overall, the subsequent phases of the project will be developed flexibly over a 20-year horizon, depending on market conditions,” he added.

From an economic and employment perspective, Saarani said the project was projected to create between 8,000 and 9,000 job opportunities during the construction phase, as well as more than 10,000 jobs once fully completed, across various sectors including construction, services, logistics and trade.

He said the development was also expected to indirectly stimulate local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Buntong, particularly retail, food and beverage and transportation businesses, while potentially increasing property values in surrounding areas.

“In terms of mobility and accessibility, the construction of the integrated transit hub will bring together ETS, Northern Komuter, bus, taxi and e-hailing services under one roof.

“This facility will enable people to enjoy direct connections to major economic centres such as KL Sentral and Penang Sentral more efficiently and sustainably,” he said.

From the tourism and services perspective, Saarani said the expected increase in domestic and international tourist arrivals through Ipoh Sentral would bring direct economic spillover benefits to Buntong and Perak as a whole.

“The influx of tourists is also expected to further stimulate the local hospitality sector, the heritage culinary industry and the market for iconic local products,” he said.