Among the ongoing developments within Batu Kawan are an IKEA store, Aspen Vision City and Utropolis, the latter of which is expected to serve as a hub for tertiary education.

[5][6][7] The agricultural village of Batu Kawan had been in existence since the 19th century, when the area was home to sugar, coconut and rubber estates.

[4][6] In 2015, the Penang state government declared the launch of a new development corridor within the South Seberang Perai District, which encompasses Batu Kawan and Nibong Tebal.

[13] However this service have ceased operations since the pandemic in 2020, making Batu Kawan is inaccessible via normal public transportation methods other than e-hailing or taxi.

[21] Among the tenants within the mall are Gap, Timberland, Pierre Cardin, Sacoor Brothers, Superdry, Kate Spade New York, Padini, Adidas, Body Glove, Levi's, Guess, Samsonite, Esprit and Cotton On.

[22] In 2017, the construction of the IKEA Batu Kawan store was launched by the Chief Minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng.

[5] Slated for completion by 2019, it is the first IKEA store in northern Malaysia and spans a built-up area of 39,979 m2 (430,330 sq ft).

[24] The 2,680-hectare (26.8 km2) industrial zone has attracted a host of multinational firms, such as Boston Scientific, Bose Corporation, Bosch, ViTrox, Western Digital, Dexcom and Hewlett-Packard.

[28] In an effort to promote environmental conservation, all development projects within the town are required to abide by a 30% green area ruling, enacted by the Seberang Perai City Council.