Batu Kawa's new Pines Square Market is planned with a mini collection centre to help farmers handle surplus produce, alongside space for traders and food outlets.
The RM15 million project broke ground on October 13. The Borneo Post reports that Lee Onn Group is fully funding the single-storey market on 3.43 acres of Padawan Municipal Council land. Plans include 270 market stalls, 18 food court outlets and a lock-up facility.
The collection centre is intended for produce arriving during abundant harvests, including items that cannot be sold immediately or need further processing. That gives the project a role beyond retail shopping: it is also meant to support growers supplying the Kuching area.
The reported overall provision has been reduced from the original 400 stalls to 300 to accommodate parking and the collection centre. Plans provide 286 car spaces and 28 motorcycle spaces.
The market is to be handed to Padawan Municipal Council for management, with the council handling stall applications. A completion date and application opening date were not given in the report; the groundbreaking does not mean the market is already trading.