He said the proposed state assembly building would form part of an administrative hub spanning seven acres on the reclaimed island.

“It will be in the new administrative centre, within a number of buildings,” he told reporters after the launch of the Penang Silicon Island Local Plan 2050 today.

The land for the proposed administrative centre is expected to be ready by 2028, after which construction can begin.

Chow said the administrative centre was still at the planning stage, with the Penang Development Corporation appointed to work out design and space requirements from state agencies.

He added that the scale of the administrative centre would be limited to around seven acres due to land constraints.

The chief minister said the development would not resemble a large, federal-style administrative complex, as existing public service counters would remain by and large at their current locations.

The proposal was announced alongside the Penang Silicon Island Local Plan 2050, as well as the Penang Island Local Plan 2035 and Seberang Perai Local Plan 2030.

The Silicon Island plan focuses on developing a greenfield area through land reclamation, targeting high-technology industries and sustainable urban planning.

The Penang legislative assembly is currently housed in a 200-year-old heritage building in Light Street which underwent a RM3.6 million restoration between March 2019 and September 2020, with sittings temporarily moved to Dewan Sri Pinang during this time.