Batu Lanchang is a suburb of George Town in

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. It is located nearly southwest of the city centre, and sandwiched between

Air Itam Ayer Itam (also spelt Air Itam or Air Hitam) is a suburb of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Nested within the central valleys of Penang Island, it is located approximately southwest of the city centre. Ayer Itam is one of the well-known places ...

to the west and

Jelutong Jelutong is a suburb of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Located south of the Pinang River, Jelutong has been inhabited since as early as the late 18th century, when traders from Aceh and India settled around the area. It was once notorious ...

to the east. Formerly an agricultural area, Batu Lanchang has turned into a suburban residential area, with a mix of high-rises and landed properties. Green Lane, in particular, has become an affluent neighbourhood, whilst also serving as a major thoroughfare through Batu Lanchang, linking George Town and

Gelugor Gelugor is a southern suburb of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Named after a plant species, Gelugor lies along the eastern seaboard of Penang Island, between Jelutong and Sungai Dua, and nearly south of the city centre. Gelugor had been po ...

History

Taman Free School at Batu Lanchang, George Town, Penang

Batu Lanchang was once an agricultural area, where coconut groves stretched all the way to the hills of

. At the time, Green Lane was the only road through Batu Lanchang; true to its name, it was a country path lined with trees. Urbanisation of the area began in the 1950s, when residential high rises were first built along Green Lane. The development of residential estates around Green Lane, such as Island Park and Island Glades, have transformed it into a wealthy suburban neighbourhood. Development then gradually spilled out across Batu Lanchang, leading to residential high rises like the Central Park condominiums.

Transportation

To this day, Green Lane serves as the main thoroughfare within Batu Lanchang. It forms part of the Penang Middle Ring Road and is heavily used by motorists daily. Other major roads within this suburb include Jalan Tan Sri Teh Ewe Lim (formerly Batu Lanchang Road) and Batu Lanchang Lane; the former leads towards

while the latter links the suburb with

Rapid Penang Rapid Penang (styled as ''rapidPenang'') is a public bus brand in the State of Penang, Malaysia. Formed as a subsidiary of Prasarana Malaysia in 2007, to date it is the main public transport operator within Penang; its bus network serves commut ...

buses 11, 13, 206 and 304 serve the residents of the suburb, by connecting Batu Lanchang with George Town to the north and other destinations on

Penang Island Penang Island ( ms, Pulau Pinang; zh, 檳榔嶼; ta, பினாங்கு தீவு) is part of the state of Penang, on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It was named Prince of Wales Island when it was occupied by the British Ea ...

, such as

and

Paya Terubong Paya Terubong is a suburb of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Located nearly southwest of the city centre, it is nestled within the central valleys of Penang Island and south of Air Itam. It is also one of the most densely populated areas on ...

Education

A total of two

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

s, seven

high schools A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

and a

vocational school A vocational school is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocational education or technical skills required to complete the tasks ...

are located within Batu Lanchang. Notably, Green Lane is home to two of

's top missionary schools –