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The battle for Fraser’s Hill: a Malaysian former hill station’s ‘Little England’ heritage and rich wildlife under threat from development

Its mock-Tudor homes and British traditions earned a former hill station the name ‘Malaysia’s Little England’. Now its heritage and wildlife are at risk

Bungalows in the forested area where panthers, gibbons and sun bears roam have been demolished and a 15-storey resort is planned. But the town is fighting back

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The town centre in Fraser’s Hill, a former hill station in Malaysia known for its mock-Tudor architecture and verdant forests rich in wildlife. A developer’s plan to build a 15-storey luxury holiday resort has galvanised opponents. Photo: Oliver Raw

Published: 7:45am, 18 Feb 2023

A hundred kilometres (60 miles) north of Kuala Lumpur, amid highland rainforest, stands the former colonial hill station named after Scottish adventurer Louis James Fraser.

It is overshadowed in tourist literature by the Cameron Highlands and ignored by the pleasure seekers of Genting, but there are two compelling reasons to visit Fraser’s Hill, in Pahang’s Raub district: the mock-Tudor architecture, which has earned the town the nickname “Malaysia’s Little England”; and the wealth of wildlife, which includes panthers, gibbons, sun bears and more than 250 species of bird.

Yet both are under threat.

In August 2020, a year after Fraser’s Hill celebrated its centenary, two colonial-era bungalows – Maybank Lodge and Jelai Resort – were unceremoniously demolished. This came as a surprise to the 1,000 or so residents, who had not been informed beforehand and were given no explanation afterwards.

A bungalow characteristic of the mock-Tudor style in Fraser’s Hill, Malaysia. Photo: Oliver Raw

Only much later did signboards appear advertising the construction of a 15-storey resort and spa, complete with “181 rooms, a sky viewing deck, and a heated infinity-edged swimming pool”.

Then the fightback began; conservationists criticised the Raub District Council for approving the development without obtaining a proper environmental assessment and local activists decried the loss of their heritage.