This article first appeared in City & Country, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on March 10, 2025 - March 16, 2025

Meeting Datuk Tony Ling, the newly appointed CEO of IJM Land Bhd, is like catching up with an old friend. Greeting us with a warm smile and firm handshake, he exudes a calm confidence from his years in the industry.

Having only taken the helm of the property arm of IJM Corp Bhd (KL:IJM) last November, he has been working with his team to draw up plans for the group. During the interview in the refurbished IJM Land Centre of Excellence ICE Gallery in its township development Pantai Sentral Park (PSP) in Kuala Lumpur, Ling details the strategy to level up the company’s experience and product options.

“I have set the direction by informing the group what my expectations are for the property division and that we are not doing a normal township. We are evolving to do more community type of developments.

“We are also looking at the diversification of the products that we have. IJM Land is known for our townships, or standalone products like apartments or condos. We are diversifying into mixed-use developments with a mix of commercial developments, apartments and corporate offices. This will happen in Penang and in Pantai Sentral Park,” he explains.

Ling also says some properties will be kept to generate a recurring income. There are also plans to develop wellness products, which will be an integral part of all future projects. He cites the refurbishing of its hospitality asset Holiday Villa Subang into an integrated wellness resort as an example.

Of course, execution is key. With regards to this, Ling explains: “When I first took over, the first thing was to look at the land resources. The land bank in Penang and Pantai Sentral Park could be diversified into mixed-use developments.

“Second is to get a team. This is followed by having a proper way to strategise the design for mixed-use developments.

“So you need to redefine the master plan, strategise the different things and components, find a catalyst and to get the right team.”

Taking into consideration uncertainties caused by macroeconomic factors such as the economy, higher cost of living and external influences, Ling says research was conducted to decide the type of products demanded by the market.

He also had to face challenges such as resistance to change within the organisation.

“When you are making a change to this type of master plan, especially going into mixed-use development, the challenge is to change the mentality of the company. When the company is doing a lot of townships, they will challenge you on whether [the decision] is the right way to do it, how much risk you are taking and so on. This is normal, because it is new to them.

“But with the experience we have, with the core team that I have, we all have done it before, we have a lot of lessons learnt, so we know it can be done,” he says.

With all the elements in place, Ling believes it is now time for IJM Land to implement its strategy, starting with the revitalised and tweaked PSP master plan.

The 58-acre PSP, which borders the 200-acre Bukit Kerinchi Forest Reserve, was conceived as a vertical township with many residential and commercial high-rises. It will have an estimated gross development value (GDV) of RM8.3 billion and is expected to be fully developed between 2039 and 2040. Ling says the land is divided into 14 parcels, of which four have projects that have been launched.

The first project, the RM214 million Inwood Residences, was launched in July 2014 and completed in March 2019. It is fully sold and handed over. Inwood Residences has 211 units in a 37-storey tower. Built-ups range from 1,216 to 1,965 sq ft, and prices started at RM1.304 million.

The second project, launched in June 2015, is the RM308 million Secoya Residences. Completed in June 2019, it is fully sold and handed over. The 41-storey tower has 243 units with built-ups ranging from 1,050 to 1,670 sq ft. The starting price was RM1.106 million.

The RM246 million Suria Pantai Residences, meanwhile, was launched in 4Q2018 and completed in 1Q2021. The Residensi Wilayah project is fully sold and handed over. There are 896 units in a 35-storey tower, each with a built-up area of 810 sq ft and a selling price of RM275,000.

Finally, there is the RM261 million Riana Trees Residences, which was launched in June 2023 and is targeted for completion in 1Q2027. So far, 80% of the 336 units in the 32-storey tower have been taken up. The built-up sizes are 900 and 955 sq ft — the selling price for the former starts at RM706,000, while the latter starts at RM756,000.

Ling says because of the pandemic, the team re-evaluated the original PSP master plan and tweaked it to reflect the needs of users, whose preferences and needs had changed.

“At the time [PSP was introduced], the design was for a more futuristic-designed development with building forms that were cutting edge and very daring, and the design was pushing for retail malls and commercial products. Futuristic offices may not be able to get good rental.”

“So I had to retune the whole [master plan] so you don’t need a futuristic building, but it can be an elegant modern design with biophilic elements and green features,” he explains.

Of the remaining 10 parcels of land, three will be for residential developments while the remaining seven will be for commercial developments. Of the seven commercial parcels, three adjacent tracts have been allocated for PSP’s first mixed-use development called Enlace.

Enlace, which will be developed on 18.18 acres of land, will have an estimated GDV of RM3.9 billion. According to Ling, it “will be the heartbeat of the whole Pantai Sentral Park”.

“There will be four components. Enlace Suites is the serviced apartments, with units from 474 to 1,733 sq ft. There will be different types of units like studio, dual-key and bigger units.

“The second product is Enlace CO, which is the office component. There will be two blocks. One block of 135,000 sq ft is [for] en bloc [sale] and the other [will have] boutique offices, with different entrances and [their] own signage, which is suitable for someone who wants to own their own office. These offices will be offices with flexible layouts. There will be a spillover from Bangsar South because most of the offices there are fully taken up.

“The third element is Enlace Shoppes, which is two floors of retail comprising F&B dining, lifestyle amenities, gym and wellness outlets, and a premium grocer.

“And then, there is Enlace Retreat, which is the second phase of Enlace, the wellness component. It will have some medical elements, rehabilitation and recovery facilities, elements of independent living and senior living facilities,” he says.

According to Ling, Enlace Suites, Enlace CO and Enlace Shoppes will be unveiled in the second quarter of this year, while Enlace Retreat will be launched at a later date.

Enlace Suites and Enlace CO will sit atop Enlace Shoppes and will take up 5.87 acres. Enlace Retreat, meanwhile, will occupy 7.8 acres. The remaining 4.51 acres under the Enlace umbrella is still in the planning stages.

He adds that the components will be connected to each other and to a future MRT3 station through a bridge to PSP. There will also be a link to the Bukit Kerinchi Forest Reserve.

“The 200-acre forest reserve belongs to DBKL (Kuala Lumpur City Hall). We have a green area on our land that we call Enlace Urban Park. We will work with DBKL to have a hiking trail [leading] into the forest reserve,” says Ling, adding that after their trek through nature, hikers can have a meal and rest at Enlace Shoppes’ F&B outlets.

Enlace Suites will comprise two residential towers called Enlace Suites 1 and 2. The first tower is expected to be launched in April and is targeted for completion in September 2029. Enlace Suites 1 has a GDV of RM430.4 million. The 48-storey tower will house 438 units and the layouts include studio, 1-bedroom to 4-bedroom and dual-key units. The built-ups will range from 474 to 1,733 sq ft while the selling price will range from RM517,000 to RM1.858 million.

Facilities at Enlace Suites 1 will include swimming pools, a hammock garden, meditation pavilion, reflexology garden, gym, barbecue pavilion, children’s playground, multipurpose atrium and family lounge, among others. The estimated maintenance fee inclusive of sinking fund is 50 sen psf.

Details for Enlace Suites 2, including its launch date, will be announced at a later date.

Enlace CO will have a GDV of RM318.4 million. Its launch date will be announced later. The offices will be housed in two buildings — Enlace CO I will have 14 storeys while Enlace CO II will have 13 storeys. Enlace CO I will have an estimated net lettable area (NLA) of 135,000 sq ft and will be sold en bloc with a selling price of about RM165 million.

Enlace CO II will have three units for sale. Unit A, with a net floor area (NFA) of 36,350 sq ft, is priced at RM47.9 million. Unit B will have an NFA of 36,867 sq ft and a selling price of RM52.12 million, while Unit C will have an NFA of 38,449 sq ft and a selling price of RM53.4 million.

To cater to the needs of residents and office workers, Enlace Shoppes, which will have an NLA of 108,000 sq ft, will be curated to provide a wide array of options including F&B, lifestyle fashion and retail, beauty and wellness, edutainment, entertainment, general/speciality retail, fitness and conveniences as well as a premium grocer.

Ling says PSP will be getting a new entrance statement on the New Pantai Expressway front. The township will also have refurbished pathways for pedestrians’ safety and a bicycle lane.

In addition, there will be a network of walkways and bike paths connecting every development within PSP, which Ling says is called the Ribbon of Life. 

He adds that Enlace Urban Park, which is inspired by a Japanese garden, will be a placemaking venue where community building activities can be held.

Sustainability is important to Ling, not just with regard to the environment, which is a mainstay of all developments these days, but also the sustaining and maintenance of buildings.

“For sustainability, it is not just about the features and getting the [green] points; it is what sustains the development. It is also not about planting a few trees, but to plant trees that merge well with the greenery.”

He believes buildings should not be too futuristic but modern enough to give better returns to owners and for people to enjoy them. Ling notes that the cost of maintaining a building should not be too high.

He adds that the retail space at Enlace Shoppes has an open concept where there is no air-conditioning in the corridors.

“But it is designed with a landscape and coverage from the elements so you feel the temperature [is lower]. Also, the plants are easier to maintain.

“Then there is the selection of materials. You need to select materials that are easy to maintain, so you can reduce the dependence on people doing cleaning and repairs.”

IJM Land is also looking at using artificial intelligence (AI) for maintenance and the long-term sustainability of the development.

“AI technology can help to craft the way to control things. For example, right now we have a car plate recognition system which cuts down the need for car park operators. This is cost saving. You can also use a smart CCTV security system to secure the area, in place of security personnel walking around. AI will come in to help with these things and others. We are still exploring to see how it can help,” he says.

The aim, adds Ling, is for all future PSP products to be GreenRE Gold certified.

At the end of the interview, he rushes off to another meeting. As I walk past the model of PSP and browse through the new gallery, it looks like IJM Land’s journey to delivering new and meaningful products has gotten off to a good start.

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