HOMEME IMPRIMPROVEMENTEMENT
Residents can look forward to ‘new’ homes with better facilities
A NEW plan to o redevelop cramped flats s and address the issue of inade equate parking is being conside ered by the Urban Wellbeing, Ho ousing and Local Government Ministry.M Its minister says it is looking at using the S ingapore experience, w with its
‘Selective en b bloc Redevelopme ent
Scheme (SER RS)’.
MALAYSIANS currently forced to get by living in squalid apartments with little space and no parking lots can look forward to better living conditions.
Their homes, could soon be picked as among those that seriously need a massive facelift.
Under a massive plan by the Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Ministry, owners of such developments chosen for the makeover, might have the option of either settling down in a place where they would be relocated as the project which would require the old development to be torn down was being carried out, or take ownership of their new homes.
Under the plan, if the home owners opted for the latter, they would be able to make use of the compensation that would be offered to them, along with a host of discounts, for them to return to where they once dwelled.
Tan Sri Noh Omar told the New Straits Times for this initiative, the ministry would be tapping into Singapore’s experience with its “Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme” (SERS) — See graphics on Page 3.
Noh was responding to a New Sunday Times frontpage exclusive recently on the huge problems in high-density housing areas, including haphazard parking, which would even make rescue efforts futile.
This mainly covered low- and medium-cost flats. Noh said these areas would need to be upgraded and equipped with a multi-level parking facility.
“An upgrade to these types of houses is inevitable as they were build 30 or 40 years ago, when they were solely targeted for the less fortunate.
“These houses have only one or two rooms and were sold at a price between RM15,000 and RM25,000.”
These developments, including those with 1,000 units, he added came with only about 400 parking lots as they were built with the thinking that its occupants would not afford a car.
“However, the livelihood of these people have vastly improved.
“Each household has not one but even several cars, because their children who are also staying with them own cars too.
“That is why we are see massive congestions at these housing areas,” he said.
Noh who is also the Selangor Umno liaison committee chairman, said the government had plans to redevelop housing areas with the problem in Selangor but could face a host of issues with the state government, including on land matters.
If the state was returned to federal power, there would no longer be any obstacles in carrying out the ambition for the people in the state.
“The state government has the power over land matters and by right they should play their role to identify and redevelop these areas... they should take the effort to at least solve the parking woes and build new multi-level parking facilities.
“I have been to Azmin’s parliamentary area (Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Azmin Ali) and saw with my own eyes how the less fortunate are being neglected,” he said.
Noh said the Kerinchi residency redevelopment project, which saw more than 400 people previously living in a dilapidated 300 sq ft moving into a 900 sq ft condominium complete with swimming pool, proved that the government could walk it talk.
“One example is the Kerinchi Residency project where the onebedroom units which had low market value, is now valued at RM550,000 each.
“This is how we help the less fortunate, as compared to the Selangor state government which redeveloped a residence in Keramat, but neglected its original residents who in the end could not afford to get their homes back as they were sold at about RM500,000 per unit,” he said, adding that the government would be able to come in to help those in Selangor wanting a bet- ter life, if Barisan Nasional was returned the ruling mandate.
Noh said the government had also in the past restructured housing areas in the rural estates such as the housing project for Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (Risda) and the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) settlers.