Minister of Local Government Development Nga Kor Ming said the government is in the midst of preparing a new law specifically related to urban renewal. 

He said currently, urban renewal is implemented through nine existing laws, with legislation involving various ministries, departments, and agencies. 

“If we look at development in the country, there are several things which hinder efforts towards urban renewal, including the absence of specific legislation,” he said at press conference, after launching the Urban Renewal Implementation Guidelines (GPP PSB) today. 

He said the special law was prepared through the Town and Country Planning Department (PLANMalaysia), by conducting a Regulatory Impact Analysis with the Malaysia Productivity Corporation to assess the need for a special law, which is in line with the practice of developed countries. 

He added that the new law is expected to be tabled in parliament at the end of next year, which will have a major impact on the national economy as well as enabling GPP PSB to be used nationwide. 

Nga said GPP PSB was introduced as the governance of urban renewal varied by state and local authority (PBTs), and there was no uniform practice across the country. 

He added that PSB GPP will be used as guidelines and reference for the federal government, state and local authorities, developers, and other stakeholders to redevelop obsolete and abandoned townships. 

Emphasising that urban renewal should be given serious attention, given that Malaysia’s urbanisation rate is expected to increase to 85% by 2040, Nga said a geospatial database for urban renewal would be created by the ministry through PLANMalaysia. 

“The role of the geospatial database is as an inventory of the location and site information for potential areas for urban renewal for the whole country, and is equipped with information, such as the age of buildings or areas, the status of building conditions and others,” he said. 

Nga added that Kuala Lumpur City Hall currently has information on 139 sites, with an area of 1,297ha, that should be redeveloped. – Bernama, September 5, 2023.