The Penang History and Heritage Association said Batu Uban should be gazetted as a traditional village.

Its president, Prof Dr Ahmad Murad Merican, told Berita Harian that 70 per cent of the settlement was currently under threat of development.

He said Batu Uban had high historical value for the Malay community, which pre-dated the colonial era.

“If Batu Uban is destroyed, so are the Malays and their history. The Malay people will then become beggars of history,” he told the Bahasa Malaysia daily.

“The question is: why did the state government approve the development project in the area?”

The daily had earlier reported that more than 500 heritage buildings in Penang were neglected due to the lack of maintenance.