Late last month, the Federal Court in a landmark decision, quashed a hillside development that was issued by the local authority in Penang. Federal Court judge Nallini Pathmanathan who wrote the unanimous decision, ruled that Section 22(2A) says that the development affecting hill tops or hill slopes is no longer merely an issue of local state governance, but is also a federal and national issue. What does this all mean, and how will this ruling impact other hillslope development plans around the country? We speak to Datuk Dr Gurdial Singh Nijar, an advocate and solicitor who represented the Sg Ara residents who won the case after a decade long battle, to discuss the implications of this landmark decision, and why it's a win for environmental law.

Image Credit: Sahabat Alam Malaysia

Produced by: Juliet Jacobs

Presented by: Juliet Jacobs

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Categories:  environment,  Law/Activism

Tags:  Federal Court of Malaysia,  landmark case,  Sg Ara development,  planning approvals,  hillside development,  National Physical Planning Council,  Town and Country Planning Act 2001,  gurdial singh nijar,  sustainable development,  environmental law,  penang island city council,