At present, MPK limits the number of stalls in coffeeshopsto three for intermediate lots and five for corner lots. — Filepic
KLANG Municipal Council (MPK) has been urged to revisit the present limit of five stalls per kopitiam (coffeeshop) in areas under its jurisdiction.
Councillor Lee Fu Haw instead proposed that the number of stalls be flexible based on the capacity of the establishment.
“For kopitiams, we presently limit the number of stalls to three for intermediate lots and five for corner lots.
“But not all shops have the same lot size. We should set a different criteria, based on the space available.
“There is variation in size, with some being large and others, small. If we restrict (the number of stalls) based on lot size, it may not be optimal for business,” he said during the council’s fullboard meeting.
Lee also suggested that coffeeshops with more than the permitted number of stalls be given a six-month grace period to renew their licence and to give them time to comply.
In response, MPK president Noraini Roslan said the council would consider a six months’ compliance period for licence renewal for such establishments.
“This also allows time for the council to inspect the premises. If the establishment is large and has more than five stalls, we will approve it.
Lee proposes for a more flexible number of stalls in coffeeshops.“For those outside the standard, it will be directed to an MPK officer for consideration,” she said, while explaining the difficulty of approving establishments with more than five stalls.
“The applicant needs to present the shop’s size, as it is challenging to make a decision at the counter without seeing evidence.
“In our initial decision, we stated that we would consider either the size of the shop or adherence to the standard stall count,” she added.
On another matter, Selangor Palace representative Datuk Mohammed Khusrin Munawi said with just 37 days to go before Klang’s declaration as a city, MPK’s Landscape Department needed to ensure their projects would be completed in time.
Mohammed Khusrin was referring to landscape projects along the Federal Highway where contractors are still carrying out beautification works.
“There are still several protocol roads where nothing has been done to upgrade them, especially in Kuala Selangor and Kuala Langat.
“Hopefully all work can be completed before Feb 5, the day Klang is scheduled to be proclaimed as a royal city,” he said.
