This article first appeared in City & Country, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on November 30, 2020 - December 6, 2020

Jalan SR 8/3 and Jalan SR 8/4 are rather ordinary streets in a small corner of Seri Kembangan. Vehicle and pedestrian traffic is average and parking is relatively easy to find. According to Metro Homes Realty Bhd executive director See Kok Loong, these streets are located in SHL Consolidated Bhd’s mixed development known as Taman Putra Indah.

Jalan SR 8/3 has a business centre, an office building and a petrol station whereas Jalan SR 8/4 is lined with 2-storey shopoffices. Both streets are surrounded by residential properties. On one end of Jalan SR 8/4 is the entrance to landed houses, while the other end is connected to the main road of Jalan Serdang Raya.

Jalan SR 8/3 is accessible via Jalan Serdang Raya at one end and the other end is linked to Jalan SR 8/4.

The businesses located there are mainly homegrown and not franchises. They include car workshops, restaurants, hair salons and a sundry shop.

People come to this area because of the eateries found here. A restaurant and bar known as Highway Café is located in the business centre on Jalan SR 8/3, and Chinese restaurants such as Restaurant East of Highway and Restaurant Old Time Delights can be found on Jalan SR 8/4.

“If not for these restaurants and the café, I wouldn’t go there. I reckon the shops mainly cater for residents in the area and the people working there during the day,” says Janet, who frequents Highway Café and Restaurant East of Highway.

The former serves a fusion of Western and Malaysian food while the latter focuses on Chinese cuisine.

She says: “I like going to Highway Café because the food there is quite nice and the environment is good. They serve beer too, which I enjoy while chatting with friends. Restaurant East of Highway serves really good Chinese food and the prices are fair. I usually go there with my family.”

According to data from Metro Homes Realty, SHL Consolidated manages the business centre on Jalan SR 8/3 and it is available for rent only.

Meanwhile, for Jalan SR 8/4, there were a few transactions between 2015 and 2017. The 2-storey shopoffices, with a built-up of 3,300 sq ft, were sold for RM1.2 million. But there have been no transactions there since 2017.

The rental is RM4,000 to RM4,500 for ground-floor units and between RM1,000 and RM1,500 for first-floor units.

The prospects for the business centre on Jalan SR 8/3 are less promising as it lacks main road frontage, says See, who adds that its prospects would improve if the parking lot across the road were to be developed.

See says the outlook is better for Jalan SR 8/4 because of the limited supply of 2-storey shopoffices in the area.

“An upcoming mass rapid transit line 2 station nearby, the Serdang Raya Utara station, will bring new life into the area, and I believe demand will increase once the line is operational.”

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