The Urban Renewal Bill is expected to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat for its second reading on Oct 6, after being postponed on Aug 27, says housing and local government minister Nga Kor Ming.
Bernama reported Nga as saying this was among the matters raised at the National Affordable Housing Council meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim today, that discussed the act and the housing ecosystem in the country.
He said the act is important for reviving old areas in a planned and more inclusive manner.
“The housing and local government ministry is also actively holding engagement sessions for the drafting of new acts such as the Residential Tenancy Act, and amendments and improvements to existing acts, namely the Housing Development (Control and Licensing) Act 1966 and Strata Management Act 2013,” he said.
Tabled at the Dewan Rakyat for its first reading late last month, the Urban Renewal Bill aims to ensure old and dilapidated housing areas can be redeveloped in a more systematic, fair and inclusive manner.
On the implementation of affordable homes under the 13th Malaysia Plan, Nga said as of June 30, 98.8% or 493,874 affordable houses had been completed, with the remaining 6,126 units targeted for completion by the end of this year.
As for the Housing Credit Guarantee Scheme, Nga said as of July 31, a total of 93,231 applications had been approved, with total financing guarantees of RM22.14 billion.
“About 67% of the recipients were those buying homes priced below RM300,000, in line with the government’s affordable housing agenda.
“The majority of approvals were given to the B40 group, which is the scheme’s main target group,” he said.
