After undergoing various legal procedures and discussions since December last year, the Urban Renewal Bill (PSB) is expected to be presented to Parliament in June or July this year.
Dato' Arias, Director of the Urban and Rural Planning Department under the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, told Bernama that the final draft had been submitted to the Attorney General's Office and received positive feedback.
“We have conducted 74 discussions nationwide, involving professional groups, departments, developers, Joint Management Bodies (JMB), Management Corporations (MC), the public, universities, state governments, and local governments.”
“After completing the final negotiations with the Attorney General's Office, we will bring the bill to the Cabinet in April or May. After seeking approval, we will discuss it with state governments through the National Local Government Council before presenting it to Parliament.”
Regarding the notion that the Director of the Federal Land and Mines Department (JKPTG) disagrees with the bill, Arias emphasized that the department has a different role and will not interfere with urban renewal procedures under the jurisdiction of the Urban and Rural Planning Department and local governments.
He mentioned that several series of discussions had been held with JKPTG regarding the Strata Title Act, yielding very positive conclusions to support the bill.
He noted that one of the concerns of the original owners participating in urban renewal projects is the higher maintenance fees.
“In the era of public housing, the monthly maintenance fee might have been just 40 or 50 ringgit. However, under urban renewal projects, the charges will be calculated based on market rates and area, possibly around 150 to 200 ringgit per month.”
“In the first two years, this cost can be included in development expenses, but thereafter, owners will have to bear the corresponding costs. The government cannot continuously provide special subsidies for maintenance fees as it is not sustainable in the long term.”
Nevertheless, Arias stressed that the government is still providing assistance to strata residential communities through various maintenance initiatives under the concept of Prosperous Malaysia.