Batu Kawan is an island in the city of Seberang Perai, Penang, Malaysia. It is geographically separated from the rest of Seberang Perai by the Jawi and Tengah rivers., Batu Kawan contained a population of 5,537. Long considered a quiet agricultural backwater, Batu Kawan is currently undergoing rapid development, which was sparked by the completion of the Second Penang Bridge that connects the town with Batu Maung on Penang Island in 2014. A host of multinational firms, including Boston Scientific, Western Digital Corporation, Bose Corporation and Bosch, have set up manufacturing plants within the Batu Kawan Industrial Park. In addition, Batu Kawan is home to Design Village, Malaysia's largest outlet mall. Among the ongoing developments within Batu Kawan are an IKEA store, Aspen Vision City and Utropolis, the latter of which is expected to serve as a hub for tertiary education.
History
The agricultural village of Batu Kawan had been in existence since the 19th century, when the area was home to sugar, coconut and rubber estates. In particular, sugar plantations in the area had been run by Chinese settlers as early as 1796. Granite was extracted from the area as well; the granite was then sent across the Penang Strait to George Town on tongkangs departing from the Batu Musang Jetty. In the 1960s, the aforementioned plantations were cleared to make way for larger palm oil estates. In 1990, the Penang Development Corporation, a statutory body of the Penang state government, acquired of land in Batu Kawan. The Penang State Stadium, completed in 2000, was one of the first development projects undertaken by the PDC, followed by the Batu Kawan Industrial Park and the Penang Science Park. In 2008, the Malaysian federal government commenced the construction of the Second Penang Bridge, which links Batu Kawan with Batu Maung on Penang Island. The completion of the bridge in 2014 proved to be a catalyst to Batu Kawan's contemporary development, with the town being touted as "Penang's third satellite township" after Bayan Baru on the island and Seberang Jaya in Central Seberang Perai. In 2012, the PDC launched the Bandar Cassiaresidential development, which is modelled after Singapore's Housing and Development Board schemes. This was soon followed by larger property developments, such as Utropolis and Aspen Vision City. In 2015, the Penang state government declared the launch of a new development corridor within the South Seberang Perai District, which encompasses Batu Kawan and Nibong Tebal.
Geography
Batu Kawan forms an island off Seberang Perai; it is physically cut off from the mainland by the Jawi River to the north and the Tengah River to the south. The town neighbours Juru to the north, Simpang Ampat to the east and Nibong Tebal to the south.
Demographics
Batu Kawan is situated within Mukim 13 of the South Seberang Perai District., the mukim had a population of 5,537. Ethnic Malays comprised more than of the population, while another of the population consisted of ethnic Indians. The Chinese composed nearly of Batu Kawan's population.
Transportation
Lebuhraya Bandar Cassia is the main expressway within Batu Kawan. The highway is, in turn, linked to the North–South Expressway, which passes by the town. The Second Penang Bridge, which links Batu Kawan with Batu Maung on Penang Island, spans a total length of, making it the longest bridge in Southeast Asia. The completion of the bridge in 2014 also brought about the rapid development of Batu Kawan. The bridge is a tolled expressway, with a toll plaza situated at the entrance of the bridge in Batu Kawan. Batu Kawan is currently served by Rapid Penang's Congestion Alleviation Transport, a free-of-charge transit bus service within Batu Kawan.
A number of tertiary institutions have planned to establish their campuses within Batu Kawan as well, including University of Hull, KDU University College and Peninsula College. In particular, the KDU University campus, scheduled for completion by 2018, will be the largest tertiary institution within Batu Kawan.
The Batu Kawan Industrial Park encompasses the southern portion of Batu Kawan and is bounded by the Second Penang Bridge to the north. The industrial zone has attracted a host of multinational firms, such as Boston Scientific, Bose Corporation, Bosch, ViTrox and Hewlett-Packard. In addition, a gold and jewellery hub is being built within the industrial park. The major residential developments within Batu Kawan include Aspen Vision City and Utropolis@Batu Kawan, undertaken by Aspen Group and Paramount Property respectively. The former includes a financial hub, a hospital, an international school and other commercial properties, whilst the latter consists of the campus of KDU University College and various other properties. Other ongoing projects within the town include the EcoHorizon residential development by EcoWorld. In an effort to promote environmental conservation, all development projects within the town are required to abide by a 30% green area ruling, enacted by the Seberang Perai City Council.
