Penang Times Square
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| Penang Times Square | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Interactive map of the Penang Times Square area | |
| Former names | Birch the Plaza |
| General information | |
| Coordinates | 5°24′44″N 100°19′31″E / 5.4123°N 100.3254°E |
Penang Times Square is an ongoing urban redevelopment project within George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located at Dato Keramat Road within the city's Central Business District (CBD), and comprises office blocks, condominiums, a shopping mall and an outdoor plaza. Developed by Ivory Properties Group, at present, the first two phases have been completed, while Phases 3, 4 and 5 are still in the works.[1]
In 2016, a new shopping mall, M Mall O2O, was also opened as part of Phase 2 of the Penang Times Square project.[2]
Up until the late 20th century, the site was once a tin smelting plant owned by Eastern Smelting, which was formed in 1897.[3][4] Tin was imported from Perak and southern Thailand to be smelted into ingots for re-export via the Port of Penang.
The decline of Malaysia's tin industry led to the closure of the tin smelting facility. The area was then acquired by Ivory Properties Group and the Penang Times Square project, which consisted of five phases, began in 2005.[5][6]
As of 2016, Phases 1 and 2 have been completed. As part of Phase 2, M Mall O2O was officially launched in 2016.[2] The remaining three phases are expected to be completed by 2020.[1][5][7]
