Iskandar Malaysia making progress

Living in JB has its ups and downs. Today, it is an up. Why? Well, read the report for yourself and bask in glorious confidence if you've already a foothold in JB properties. It is always to receive good news from independent sources. Or so, saiths I. 


A special report by HwangDBS Vickers Research, On Saturday 10 September 2011, 23:45 SGT
http://sg.finance.yahoo.com


During our recent site visit to Iskandar Malaysia, we drove around the project sites for EduCity, Medini, SiLC, Horizon Hills, Setia Eco-Gardens, and Johor Premium Outlet, and made stops at the state administrative centre in Kota Iskandar, Columbia Hospital, and Puteri Harbour sales gallery. We also met up with representatives from the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA), Iskandar Investment Bhd (IIB), UEM Land Bhd, S P Setia Bhd and Eastern & Oriental Bhd (E&O).

The feedback from fund managers was encouraging — 53% and 41% of our survey respondents were positive or neutral on Nusajaya’s development progress. Respondents were generally satisfied with the progress on infrastructure, security, foreign and private investments, government policies, awareness and marketing, and property prices. Fund managers rated infrastructure, security, and government policies as the top three factors required for Iskandar to be a success.

On security, IRDA highlighted that a Safety and Security Blueprint is in place and the crime index had fallen by 21% and street crime by 47% compared with last year. Police manpower has been increased from 6,172 in 2007 to 9,115, and Iskandar now has five police districts compared with only three previously. An additional 273 mobile police vehicles and 12 mobile police stations have been deployed as tactical command centres in Iskandar’s five flagship zones — Johor Bahru City Centre, Nusajaya, Western Gate Development, Eastern Gate Development and Senai-Skudai).

We are encouraged that 64% of our survey respondents are keen to invest in Iskandar-related shares and properties within the next two years, of which 72% are interested in landed properties. Tourism should be a low hanging fruit as 67% of respondents would consider Iskandar as a weekend getaway, while 72% would likely visit the theme parks. The Johor Premium Outlet — the first Premium Outlet in Southeast Asia — should also be well-received based on our 89% positive response.

Some 49% of the fund managers are also interested in patronising Iskandar’s healthcare facilities. This concurs with our observation of the activity level at Columbia Hospital, which is positioned as a suburban/community hospital (41 beds). Since its launch in July 2010, Columbia Hospital has treated over 8,000 patients, of which 30% to 40% were foreigners. Occupancy rate is 80% to 90% and average length of stay is two days. This can be attributed to the scarcity of reputable private hospitals in Johor and relatively cheaper medical fees compared with Singapore (the single-bed room rate is only RM180 against S$498 (RM1,230) at Gleneagles Singapore). EduCity, however, needs more promotion (only 11% of respondents would consider sending their children there).

2012 tipping point on track

According to IRDA, committed investments in Iskandar Malaysia have reached RM76 billion as at 1H11 (about 59% from foreign investors), of which 40% or RM30 billion has been realised. Most of the infrastructure and catalyst developments in Iskandar are on track for completion from 2012 onwards, which should help to draw in critical mass to Nusajaya.

Under the Ninth Malaysia Plan, RM6.3 billion has been allocated to upgrade existing road infrastructure and build new roads to improve connectivity (four out of six road projects are in various stages of progress). The Coastal Highway, which will cut travelling time from Nusajaya to Johor Bahru by half to 20 minutes, looks on track for completion by December this year. Newcastle University (first in EduCity) is expected to commence enrolment by October this year, although hostels are still under construction and the food courts and retail facilities seem rather sparse for now.

Although construction of Legoland seems to be in the initial stages, we were assured that its September 2012 launch date is still achievable as fabrication of rides will be done concurrently offsite. We also noted several large projects slated for completion in 2012 (some of which have been overshadowed by other higher profile projects), as shown in Table 1.

Medini: Central business district of Nusajaya

IIB provided some insights on development plans for the 902ha Medini, which was acquired by a Middle East consortium comprising Kuwait Finance House, Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Development Co and Saraya Group in August 2007 for RM4.1 billion (RM43 psf). Medini is divided into four components for mixed development: Medini North, Business, Central and South. To date, about RM4 billion has been committed and spent on infrastructure and building works.

There are robust development activities at Medini North to leverage on the September 2012 opening of Legoland, which is targeting one million visitors per year. Various listed construction and property players are keen to get a piece of the action:

• WCT Bhd is scheduled to launch its first phase (300 condo units) 1Medini residential project in Medini North this month at US$150 (RM450) psf (GDV RM200 million), with targeted completion by 2013. WCT will also be developing a RM688 million commercial project in the Medini Business District, just minutes away from Medini North;

• UEM Land Bhd is developing Lifestyle Retail Mall and Residences@Medini North, which will be directly connected to Legoland. Phase 1A, comprising 200,000 sq ft gross floor area, has been targeted for completion by September 2012, although the entire development of two million sq ft GFA will be spread over eight years;

• Bina Puri Holdings Bhd is scheduled to complete a RM500 million SOHO and retail development (Medini Square) at Medini North by 2013. The first phase of 1.05 million sq ft GFA is expected to be completed in 2012; and

• Pantai Holdings Bhd plans to build a 300-bed private hospital, Gleneagles Medini Hospital, on a 6ha site at Medini North, scheduled for completion in 2014.

For Medini Central, E&O will jointly develop 85ha at the iconic wellness township in Medini Central with Pulau Indah Ventures (Temasek-Khazanah joint venture). E&O has been appointed the project manager and sales and marketing consultant for the RM3 billion-GDV mixed development.

The project should do well given:

• its strategic location near the Second Link and public golf course, and Medini is the only area within Iskandar with special incentives (10-year tax exemption, no bumiputera quota, freedom to source capital and labour globally);

• Temasek’s stamp of approval which should see strong interest from Singapore buyers; and

• E&O’s strong execution track record (master plan likely to be similar to its flagship Seri Tanjung Pinang Phase 1).

Rising interest in Johor property

We saw an increase in landbank transactions at Iskandar recently, with Mah Sing Group Bhd and Dijaya Corp Bhd acquiring large parcels over the past five months. Nusajaya’s land price has continued to set new benchmarks, surpassing other areas in Johor, including Johor Bahru city centre. For example, Puteri Harbour was transacted at RM220 psf in June 2011 against Johor Bahru’s RM117 psf in August. Recent transactions at SiLC industrial land had touched RM35 psf, with UEMLand targeting RM60 psf in the longer-term as Senai Industrial Park is already asking for RM45 to RM60 psf. We understand SiLC buyers are required to construct their factories within two years of purchase, failing which UEMLand has the right to buy back the land at 90% of the purchase price.

Property launches are expected to pick up at Nusajaya and set new price benchmarks. UEMLand will be launching Imperia Condo at Puteri Harbour (700 to 1, 200 sq ft built-ups) soon at RM600 to RM700 psf, while WCT is aiming to launch 1Medini at RM450 psf. These prices are much higher than UEMLand’s Ujung apartments that were launched in 4Q09 at RM300 psf. The latest launches of link and semi-detached houses at Nusajaya are already touching RM800,000 and RM1.2 million per unit, almost comparable to property prices in some areas within the Klang Valley. Based on KGV Lambert Smith Hampton’s survey (highlighted in The Edge weekly), average prices of 2-storey terraced houses and semi-d/cluster houses at Nusajaya have appreciated by 21% and 48% since the start of 2009.

S P Setia remains market leader in Johor

SP Setia has seen consistent sales at its Johor projects, growing at a five-year compound annual growth rate of 17%. Sales for 9MFY11of RM798 million have surpassed FY10’s sales of RM607 million. Johor currently accounts for about 35% of S P Setia’s total sales (was about 70% prior to launch of Setia Alam and Setia Eco-Park in 2004). Johor will continue to feature prominently in S P Setia’s plans after the recent acquisition of two large parcels near Tebrau — Setia Eco Cascadia (105ha @ RM15 psf) and Setia Business Park 2 (106ha @ RM11 psf) for a combined RM295 million. S P Setia now has 608ha of land in Johor with RM8 billion potential GDV.

About six months ago, S P Setia ventured into industrial properties — a low hanging fruit given its established presence in Johor since 1997 and rising private/foreign investments at Iskandar. Setia Business Park (adjacent to Setia Eco Gardens) is well sought after with Phase 1 and 2 fully sold (80% to 90% locals). Phase 1 is completed and we will see Singapore-based companies such as Old Chang Kee, SYY Pte Ltd, Huiji and Windwell move in. S P Setia has also started to launch apartments in Johor to tap into the affordable homes segment, for example, Sky Gardens Residences at Setia Tropika (RM390 psf, 56% sold) and Sky Loft at Bukit Indah (RM462 psf, 75% sold).


Genting Plantations’ Johor Premium Outlet (JPO)

JPO, a 50:50 joint venture between Genting Plantations and US-listed Simon Property Group, is strategically located at the intersection of the North-South Highway and Second-link Expressway, and will span 18ha with approximately 175,000 gross lettable area.

It will be the first Premium Outlet in Southeast Asia, boasting 80 to 90 outlet stores with an average size of 1,800 sq ft per lot. There will be 3,000 parking bays and 30 bus bays to cater for four million visitors per year (first year target). Located between Resorts World Genting in Genting Highlands (3.5 hours drive) and Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore (one hour drive), JPO is likely to be packaged as part of the Genting Group’s travel packages/bus programme to attract more visitors to the shopping haven.

With the official launch (Nov 11, 2011) just four months away and its superstructure yet to be completed, we expect JPO to open in stages.

This article appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, September 8, 2011.

Nusajaya on track to come alive in 2012

http://www.btimes.com.my

By Adeline Paul Raj
Published 10th June 2011

Kuala Lumpur: Developer UEM Land Holdings Bhd says its Nusajaya township, the key driver of the Iskandar Malaysia emerging economic zone in Johor, is on track to "come alive" in 2012 as targeted.

UEM Land is the master developer of Nusajaya, which is a tenth the size of Iskandar, but the largest integrated urban development in Southeast Asia.

"In 2012, there'll be enough critical mass and completion of projects. Post-2012, a new demand structure will evolve ... and with that, comes better profits," managing director Datuk Wan Abdullah Wan Ibrahim told reporters here yesterday.

Projects that are expected to be completed include the Coastal Highway, which will improve accessibility to Nusajaya. This is expected to be done by the end of this year, ahead of schedule, he said.

Healthcare-wise, there is already Columbia Asia Hospital, while Khazanah Nasional is poised to start on a 350-bed hospital soon.

As for education, Newcastle University Medicine will open this year, and next year, University of Southampton will be completed while Netherlands Maritime Institute of Technology will take on a new campus, Wan Abdullah said.

Theme park Legoland Malaysia will be completed in September next year, while an indoor theme park that is in the advanced stage of construction at Puteri Harbour will be completed by year-end.

As for residential occupancy, there are currently 20,000 homes occupied, which works out to a population equivalent of 100,000, he said.

The ultimate plan is for Nusajaya to have 100,000 homes over time, or a population equivalent of half a million.

Wan Abdullah was speaking at an event to formalise its subsidiary UEM Land Bhd's 55:45 joint venture with Iskandar Harta Holdings Sdn Bhd to develop a mall-and-residence project in Medini, Nusajaya.

The project, known as the Lifestyle Retail Mall and Residences @Medini North, is expected to generate sales of RM850 million.

"This is one of our initiatives to build up a portfolio of recurring income to weather any (property) downcycle," he remarked.

The first phase of the mall is targeted for completion in September next year to coincide with the opening of the Legoland, which is a 200-metre walk away.

Visitors have to go through the mall to get to Legoland, Wan Abdullah said.

The Iskandar project was launched in 2006 to much scepticism about its viability and prospects.

OSK Research, in a report earlier this week after attending a conference that centred on the developments in Iskandar, said it has turned optimistic on its prospects.

"We gather that just like the majority of us, when the entire (Iskandar) project was first launched in 2006, the locals had been sceptical, but have over the years progressively turned more optimistic, especially after witnessing the progress that Iskandar has made to date," it said in the report.

It maintained an "overweight" call on the property sector and said that given the "favourable" outlook for the property market in Iskandar, it had a preference for property developers with sizeable exposure in Iskandar such as UEM Land, SP Setia Bhd and Plenitude Bhd.

With its sheer size, 2 million sq ft, Lifestyle Retail Mall @ Medini is bigger than the famed Pavilion shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur and Vivo City in Singapore.

As the southern region's largest retail mall, the Lifestyle Retail Mall @ Medini North is set to rival its counterparts in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. With its sheer size – two million sq.ft, the mall out sizes the famed Pavilion shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur and Vivo City in Singapore. This new development that is set to enhance the retail landscape in Johor will offer fashion boutiques featuring renowned global brands, F&B outlets of fine cuisine and entertainment as well as leisure activities, that pander to the discerning preference of sophisticated patrons.

Nusajaya's value proposition as Asia's new Regional City will receive a boost with opening of the Lifestyle Retail Mall and Residences @ Medini North – an award-winning design development. Strategically located adjacent to the LEGOLAND theme park, the mall is designed to complement the theme park while offering an all round leisure experience for the whole family. 

Phase 1A of the mall is scheduled to open for business concurrent with the launch of LEGOLAND Malaysia. This large-scale development is resultant of a recently-inked joint venture between UEM Land Holdings Bhd. and Iskandar Harta Holdings Sdn. Bhd.