Malabe – Sri Lanka’s fastest growing residential and IT hub

Malabe is a suburb of the greater Colombo area, in the Colombo district of the Western Province of Sri Lanka, and home to a population of 1000. A predominantly residential area, Malabe is now rapidly expanding into an information technology and higher education hub in the Greater Colombo area. Malabe lies in close proximity to both Colombo, the financial capital of Sri Lanka, and Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, the administrative capital; hence, the large residential population.

History

Part of the ancient Sri Lankan Kingdom of Kotte during the 15th Century, and is believed to encompass the greater part of the now-unidentifiable Mulleriya Basin, which was a lush wetland where the Battle of Mulleriyawa between the Portuguese and the Sinhalese kingdom took place, resulting in an annihilation of the Portuguese forces at the hands of King Rajasingha.

Location

Malabe has become part of the upscale residential boom of the Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte area during the past decade. Placed in a central position, Malabe offers direct access to the neighbouring administrative capital Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte as well as easy access to: Colombo via Rajagiriya; other financial hubs such as Nugegoda and Maharagama; adjacent residential hubs of Pelawatte and Thalawathugoda; and Kelaniya and Orugodawatta via the Low-Level Road, which contains most of the shipping container yards in Colombo. Also, Malabe is just adjacent to the Balarama Free Trade Zone, home to many industrial manufacturing facilities, but proximity is such that the factories have no effect on the residents of the area. 

With the construction of the Southern Highway and the Outer Circular Highway, which has two exits and entrances located in and around Malabe, it has become one of the main routes taken by motorists coming through Galle and Matara to get to Colombo. The Outer Circular Highway also offers easy access to the Ragama and Gampaha financial hubs.

Shopping and amenities

Branches of all major department stores (ODEL, Cool Planet), supermarkets (Cargills Food City, Keells Super), pharmacies, clothing chains (ASP), fast food restaurants (Pizza Hut, Domino’s Pizza, Burger King), upscale restaurants (Silk Route, Lemongrass), banks (BOC, Commercial Bank, Sampath Bank, Peoples’ Bank, NSB, NTB, Standard Chartered Bank) and filling stations (CEYPETCO) are all found in the city centre, along with a weekly public market. All daily necessities can be obtained with a single visit to the city. Vehicle parking is also ample in the city. 

Schools and higher education

Malabe has numerous primary and secondary education institutions, with many primary and secondary government schools, such as Malabe Boys’ School and Rahula Balika Vidyalaya, as well as Horizon International College.

Higher educational institutions include the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM) & Colombo International Nautical and Engineering College (CINEC).

Healthcare

The main healthcare provider for the area is the Government Teaching Hospital, located on Chandrika Kumaratunga Mawatha, and the Neville Fernando Teaching Hospital. Malabe also has numerous private dispensaries and laboratories.

Residential Value

Over the past decade, Malabe has become one of the most sought-after residential suburbs in the Greater Colombo area. With the rapid development of the roadways in the area, and the proximity to major financial and administrative hubs of Sri Lanka, the land value is as competitive as ever now. Property prices for an average 3-bedroom house begin from Rs. 22 million, compared to Rs. 20 million in the previous year. The land prices are also on the rise at an average Rs. 800,000 per perch compared to the price of Rs. 600,000 in the previous year. 

Transport

Malabe, as a centre point in the suburban areas, has a complete public transportation system with major bus routes (177, 993, 336) crossing or starting from the city centre, as well as buses connecting Malabe to the Central Bus Terminal in Fort, Colombo. The road that leads to Colombo, which is only 14km away via Rajagiriya to the Borella junction, is also one of the few roads in Colombo to have a Bus Priority Lane. Under the Megapolis Development Project undertaken by the Government, a light commuter train, which will run above ground parallel to the Rajagiriya main road, is planned to be built from Malabe to Borella, thus reducing traffic and making access to Colombo more commuter-friendly. 

The Government plans to implement a light passenger railway connecting Malabe to Colombo in the near future as well. Under the Megapolis Development Project undertaken by the Government, construction will commence in early 2018 and is scheduled to be completed by end 2021. The total distance covered will be 21 km from Malabe to Fort. Average travel time will be cut down to roughly 40 minutes from Malabe to Fort, with trains being operated every 4 minutes during peak hours in the morning and afternoon. Stations will be established at Fort Station, Western Province Transport Centre, St. Joseph’s College, National Hospital, Borella, Cotta Road, Welikada, Rajagiriya, Sethsiripaya, Battaramulla, Palan Thuna, Robert Gunawardana Mawatha, Lumbini Temple, Talahena, Malabe, and the IT Park.

This will be the 1st phase of a larger network which will extend to Homagama, Kelaniya and Moratuwa.

Feasibility studies are already underway, and designs have been put forward for consideration.

Places of worship

Malabe is home to a multi-ethnic, multi-religious population, with the majority being Buddhist. Many places of worship can be found around the city, including the Mahamevnawa Temple located in Pittugala, and the historic Korathota Temple. Malabe is also home to many churches, kovils and mosques.

Employment opportunities

Malabe has been proposed as the Information Technology Hub, as per the Government‘s Megapolis Development Project. Already many reputed IT companies, including Millennium IT owned by the London Stock Exchange, have established their head offices in Malabe, with many more companies planning to use Malabe as their home base. This brings about a golden opportunity for present and potential employees of these companies to choose Malabe as their place of residence, due to the immense convenience of having a very short commute to the workplace daily.