The Urban Renewal Act a top priority, says the Ministry of Housing and Municipalities

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 13): The Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT) said its primary focus in 2025 will be to bring forward the Urban Renewal Act (URA) to rebuild dilapidated urban areas.

This tops the list of 122 action plans the ministry hammered out after its three-day strategic planning meeting, according to KPKT’s statement on Monday.

The URA is envisioned to create a wave of urban redevelopment by lowering the bar for buying above strata titles.

Currently, under Section 57 of the Strata Titles Act 1985, a unanimous decision must be obtained before any termination of strata titles in a subdivided building can take place.

Among other things, the URA will see the threshold for consent from the strata owners be lowered to 80%.

The meeting “highlighted several key priorities, including enforcement of community service penalties for littering, as well as the Indian settlements placed under the ministry’s jurisdiction last year”, the ministry said.

“Furthermore, the ministry aims to develop high-level talents or subject experts to deliver high-quality public services to the population. The ministry has also targeted global leadership in sustainable urban development by increasing its visibility at the national and international levels,” the ministry added.

Further details of the 122 action plans were not disclosed in the statement.

“This year, we aim to raise Malaysia’s position on the global stage with the ASEAN chairmanship and our bid for the UN Habitat General Assembly presidency,” said Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming.

“The world is watching us and we have to show them what we have to offer. To take the ministry to greater heights, we must improve the quality of public service by strengthening integrity practices and encouraging honest feedback,” he added.