Former mayor says urban redevelopment should not financially burden residents
URBAN redevelopment must focus on severely deteriorated properties, says a former Kuala Lumpur mayor.
Datuk Seri Nor Hisham Ahmad Dahlan, who was the city mayor from 2018 to 2020, expressed his support for redevelopment aimed at improving residents’ living standards, provided that it did not impose additional financial burdens on those affected.
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He said many older residences were in poor condition, with ageing electrical and drainage systems that could pose safety risks.
“Redevelopment can be beneficial for leasehold properties that are nearing the end of their term, with some having only 30 to 50 years left.
“It (redevelopment) offers an opportunity to reset the lease to a new 99-year term.
Nor Hisham says many older residences are in poor condition.
“It is also unfair for the majority, who support redevelopment, to be held back by a few individuals,” he said.
Nor Hisham was commenting on a Sept 30 StarMetro report, “Not looking forward to urban redevelopment” which highlighted homeowners’ fears about being displaced by the proposed Urban Redevelopment Act (URA).
The law is aimed at encouraging urban renewal by redeveloping dilapidated buildings.
Nor Hisham, however, cautioned against including public open spaces, recreational areas, drainage reserves and government-owned land in these redevelopment projects.
Wangsa Maju MP Zahir Hassan emphasised that urban redevelopment should not be viewed in isolation, but as part of a broader city or area development plan.
“Before increasing density or plot ratios, supportive infrastructure like roads, parking, schools, clinics and sports facilities should be upgraded accordingly,” he said.
Zahir says fair compensation must be guaranteed under URA.
Zahir said debates over the consent threshold, whether 100% or lower, were secondary if fair compensation was guaranteed.
He also highlighted the challenges of executing such projects.
“History has shown that despite the well-thought-out plans, execution often falls short,” he noted.
Currently, without the URA, full consent from owners was required before redeveloping buildings.
With the URA, Housing and Local Government Ministry (KPKT) is proposing an owners’ consent threshold of 80% for strata properties less than 30 years old and 75% for those older than 30 years.
The proposed Act is expected to be tabled in Parliament next year.
