REDEVELOPMENT projects under the proposed Urban Renewal Act (URA) can adversely affect their surrounding communities, who may be left without redress, says MCA urban affairs bureau chairman Tan Gim Tuan.
Raising his concerns, Tan pointed out that property owners and residents living near such projects might take issue with higher population density, plot ratio and potential destruction of green spaces.
“Worst of all, these residents would receive no compensation for their loss in quality of life.”
Tan also called on the government to consult stakeholders towards fine-tuning the bill before tabling it again in Parliament.
On other issues, he said the 24-month period for completing redevelopment projects was still unclear as developers could request extensions.
He also stressed that the threshold for obtaining consent from property owners to kickstart redevelopment – 80% for buildings under 30 years old and 75% for those older – was too low.
The proposed law has drawn objections from stakeholders amid concerns about ensuring the rights of property owners and the impact of redevelopments on local communities.
Stakeholders have called on the authorities to review the Bill, which is slated for second reading at the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday.
The Bill was tabled for first reading on Aug 21 by Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming.
According to reports, a total 139 areas in Kuala Lumpur have been identified for potential redevelopment.
However, progress has been slow as currently, full consent from all property owners is required before such a project can be undertaken.
For premises that are abandoned or deemed unsafe, the threshold is 51%.
On Aug 21, The Star reported that several MPs were calling on the Government to revise the Bill, out of concern it could accelerate gentrification and displace underprivileged tenants from city centres.
The statement was signed by Subang MP Wong Chen, Ampang MP Rodziah Ismail, Wangsa Maju MP Zahir Hassan, Ledang MP Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh, Gopeng MP Tan Kar Hing, Balik Pulau MP Datuk Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik and Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung.
