Farlim, officially Bandar Baru Air Itam, is a residential neighbourhood within the city of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Located within the Air Itam suburb, the neighbourhood lies 6 km (3.7 mi) southwest of the city centre and was created in the 1980s.[1][2] Over the recent decades, Farlim has evolved into a booming township, with several residential and commercial developments.

Bandar Baru Air Itam
Neighbourhood of George Town
Other transcription(s)
• Jawi	فارليم (بندر بارو اءير اتم)‎
• Chinese	发林 (亚依淡新市镇) (Simplified) 發林 (亞依淡新市鎮) (Traditional)
• Hokkien	Huat-lîm (A-i-tām Sin-tshī-tìn) (Tâi-lô)
Location of Farlim in George Town, with the city centre's UNESCO World Heritage Site in purple.
Farlim
Coordinates: 5°23′15.8094″N 100°16′59.0376″E
Country	Malaysia
State	Penang
District	Northeast Penang Island
City	George Town
Founded	1982[1]
Government
• Local government	Penang Island City Council
• Mayor of Penang Island	Yew Tung Seang
• Paya Terubong State Assemblyman	Yeoh Soon Hin (DAP)
• Bukit Gelugor Member of Parliament	Ramkarpal Singh (DAP)
Time zone	UTC+8 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	Not observed
Postal code	11500
Website	mbpp.gov.my

History

The area where Farlim is located was previously known as Thean Teik Estate, which was named after Khoo Thean Teik, a local Chinese merchant.[2] The area was owned by the Khoo Kongsi, a Chinese clan association in which Khoo was a director.[2][3]

In 1978, Khoo Kongsi had reached an agreement with Farlim Group Berhad to develop Thean Teik Estate into a residential township.[3] At the time, the project was the single largest property development ever undertaken by the private sector on Penang Island, with an area of 356 acres (1,440,000 m²) being originally earmarked for development.[1][4] However, the commencement of construction works in 1982 was met by deadly protests by local residents.[2] In the incident which pitted the residents against the police, one resident was killed and another four were injured.

Transportation

Thean Teik Road and Thean Teik Highway are the two major roads that cut through the township.[5][6][7] The former links Air Itam Road and the Paya Terubong suburb to the southwest, whereas the latter serves as a major thoroughfare between Paya Terubong and the Batu Lanchang suburb to the east.

Rapid Penang bus routes 13, 202, 203 and 306 also include stops within Farlim, thus connecting the township with George Town proper, the Penang International Airport and Queensbay Mall, as well as the Paya Terubong and Gelugor suburbs.[8][9][10] These are complemented by Rapid Penang's Congestion Alleviation Transport (CAT) Air Itam route, a free-of-charge transit service within Air Itam.[11]

Education

There are two primary schools and a high school within the Farlim neighbourhood.

Primary schools

• SRK Seri Indah[12]
• SRJK (C) Sin Kang[13]

High school

• SMK Air Itam[14]

Shopping

All Seasons Place, Penang's first and only strip mall, was completed in 2012 and serves as the sole shopping mall within Farlim.[16][17] It is anchored by HeroMarket,[18] replacing the previous Giant and consists of several eateries and health-related outlets which are arranged along the Thean Teik Highway.

The local community's retail needs are also met by a Bandar Baru supermarket at the heart of the township. In addition, Suiwah Corporation, a local retail firm, has a considerable presence within Farlim. At the time of writing, it operates the Sunshine Farlim hypermarket, while the township's second shopping mall, Sunshine Tower, is under construction.[19][20] In particular, the latter retail complex, scheduled for completion in 2019, will contain the first cineplex within Farlim as well.[20][21]

See also

• Air Itam

References

External links

• Farlim Group Berhad Archived 2018-01-03 at the Wayback Machine