Sunway City Ipoh isn’t standing still. The township continues to grow with new infrastructure, commercial developments, and residential phases. For those of us already living at Lakeside Villas, these developments are worth paying attention to. They’ll shape our daily convenience, property values, and the character of the area around us.
Here’s what’s confirmed or underway.
Sunway Ipoh Mall (target: 2027)
This is the big one. A full-scale shopping mall within the township, announced with a target completion of 2027.
Why it matters for us:
Right now, the nearest major retail options are AEON Kinta City (~10 min drive) and Ipoh Parade (~15 min). For everyday shopping, dining out, or catching a movie, we’re driving into central Ipoh or to malls on the other side of town.
Sunway Ipoh Mall will bring all of that within a few minutes of Lakeside Villas. Based on Sunway’s track record with malls (Sunway Pyramid in KL, Sunway Velocity, Sunway Carnival in Penang), we can expect a mix of:
- Major grocery anchor (likely a supermarket/hypermarket)
- Food court and restaurants
- Fashion and lifestyle retail
- Cinema
- Services (banks, clinics, post office)
The mall will also create local employment and increase foot traffic in the township, which typically supports better maintenance of common infrastructure and more commercial services in the surrounding area.
What to watch: Completion timelines for large retail projects in Malaysia often shift. The 2027 target is what’s currently stated on the official township site, but it’s worth tracking progress as we get closer.
Jalan Tambun road expansion
In January 2022, Sunway announced a RM16 million expansion of Jalan Tambun, the main arterial road connecting Sunway City Ipoh to the broader Ipoh road network and the North-South Expressway.
Why it matters for us:
Anyone who drives to and from Lakeside Villas daily knows the Jalan Tambun bottleneck. This road is the primary route in and out of the township, and during peak hours, it can get congested, especially at the roundabout and near the highway interchange.
The expansion is designed to increase capacity and improve traffic flow. For residents, this translates to shorter commute times, easier access to central Ipoh, and better connectivity to the North-South Expressway for those who travel regularly between Ipoh and other cities.
The road expansion is also a signal of commitment. When a developer invests RM16 million in access infrastructure, they’re planning for growth: more residents, more visitors, and more commercial activity in the township.
Sunway Medical Centre Ipoh: continued growth
The hospital within the township has been expanding its services and specialist departments. For Lakeside Villas residents, this is a significant quality-of-life factor. Having a full-service private hospital within five minutes means:
- Emergency care without the 20-minute drive into central Ipoh
- Specialist appointments that don’t disrupt your whole day
- Peace of mind for families with elderly parents or young children
As the township grows, the medical centre is likely to add more specialists and services to serve the expanding population.
New residential phases
Sunway continues to launch new residential phases within the township:
- Sunway Onsen: a newer residential development within the township
- Sunway Bayu: another active residential phase
These new phases bring more residents into the township ecosystem, which in turn supports the commercial viability of amenities like the upcoming mall and justifies continued infrastructure investment.
For Lakeside Villas specifically, new residential supply in the township is a double-edged consideration: it increases the overall population and amenity base (good for services), but also means more traffic on shared roads (which the Jalan Tambun expansion is designed to address).
The broader Ipoh picture
Sunway’s investment in the township sits within a larger story of Ipoh’s growth. The city has been attracting attention for several years now as:
- A food and tourism destination: Ipoh’s old town, cave temples, and food scene draw domestic and international visitors
- A more affordable alternative: compared to KL and Penang, Ipoh offers lower living costs while being connected via the North-South Expressway and regular ETS train services
- A retiree and second-home market: the MM2H programme and Ipoh’s quality of life have attracted both Malaysian and foreign retirees
Sultan Azlan Shah Airport, about 15 minutes from Lakeside Villas, provides domestic flight connections, and there have been recurring discussions about expanding its services.
What this means for property values
We won’t speculate on specific numbers, but the general principle is straightforward: infrastructure investment, new commercial anchors, and improved connectivity tend to support property values in established residential areas.
Lakeside Villas is already a mature, fully occupied community with a desirable lake-and-limestone setting. As the township adds the commercial and infrastructure pieces that have been missing (particularly the mall and the road upgrade), the overall proposition for our area strengthens.
Staying informed
As developments progress, we’ll update this article with new information. If you hear about developments that affect our area, share them with the community via Telegram.
Have a question about life at Lakeside Villas? Chat with Seroja on Telegram, available 24/7.