Malaysian metropolis will play home to expats

in 

Iskandar Malaysia

A huge new development said to be three times larger than the whole of Singapore is being built in Malaysia, and with it will come a whole host of opportunities for expats such as jobs, homes and even international schools for expat children.

Dubbed ‘Iskandar Malaysia’ the £25.5 billion project will encompass five different zones, including an industrial park and a financial district.

Foreign investment has played a big part in Iskandar Malaysia’s development, and international companies such as the Royal Bank of Scotland and Standard Chartered will set up a presence in the area.

However, Iskandar Malaysia will not just be a hub for finance, expat families will be encouraged to take up residence in one of its luxury homes and send their children to one of the host of famed education establishments that are also creating a base, schools such as Marlborough College, Raffles America School, Newcastle University and more.

Another big development will be the Iskandar Malaysia Pinewood Studios, itself costing £84 million.

By the time the entire project reaches maturity in 2025 it is expected that around 800,000 new jobs will be created for around 1.4 million people.

It is said that the development will have a strong British connection, as a spokesman for the project explains: “This is a great location close to the key markets of Singapore as well as Malaysia and the fast-growing leisure destination Iskandar – and we are confident that it will be a huge success. Asia is a very important development area for Merlin – with enormous potential for quality leisure attractions. We are already looking at a number of other potential projects for all our brands in the region, including several other sites for Legoland Parks for example in Korea.”