StarMetro report on Sept 30.
THE long-term impact on communities should be taken into account when evaluating the proposed Urban Redevelopment Act (URA), say Kuala Lumpur residents groups.
They said the URA should not focus solely on the interests of property owners or buyers, but on a broader urban planning perspective.
They noted that while redevelopment projects might be for the purpose of improving old properties, the result could be densification – building more units on existing land.
The groups also question the need for the URA when the Urban Renewal Implementation Guideline under Housing and Local Government Ministry already exists.
Kuala Lumpur Residents Action for Sustainable Development Association (KLRA+SD) chairman Tan Booi Charn said these guidelines, issued in 2023, operated within the existing legislative and regulatory framework.
She asked: “Why is there a new URA being pursued when this guideline is only eight months old and has not yet had a chance to yield good results from its process and improvement measures?”
There has been engagement with government agencies such as Town and Country Planning Department (PLANMalaysia) and non-governmental organisations on the proposed Act.
Tan: The 2023 urban renewal guideline has potential to solidify social safeguards.
Tan said dialogues to date with PLANMalaysia touched on 17 related laws that would need amending to synchronise with the proposed URA.
“These include a few which are especially significant for its social safeguard elements within the planning law frameworks,” she noted.
However, she said the 2023 guideline had potential to solidify these (safeguards) through practice, thereby creating a body of sound precedents.
“Is the proposed URA all about bringing in the consent threshold at the expense of social safeguards?”
Currently, without the URA, full consent is required from owners before redevelopment can take place.
With the URA, the government is proposing an approval threshold of 80% for buildings less than 30 years old and 75% for those older than 30 years.
The proposed law is expected to be tabled in Parliament next year.
Tan said that in social housing renewal projects that were cross-subsidised using the “densification” model, residents might be left with as little as 20% of their original land area.
“Social impact caused by development of the other 80% (of land) affects a much wider segment of the citizenry,” she added.
The group called for greater transparency, public engagement and protection of property owners’ rights, emphasising the need for careful consideration before implementing any new legislation.
Meanwhile, Save Kuala Lumpur chairman Datuk M. Ali argued that the consent threshold should not be lowered.
“It is essential that the 100% requirement must be applied across the process.
“If the authorities maintain people’s housing projects and public housing set-ups effectively, there would potentially be no need for urban redevelopment,” he said. — By BAVANI M and SHALINI RAVINDRAN
