Penang: The approval of the Urban Renewal Bill (URB) is crucial for efforts to redevelop dilapidated residential areas in cities or towns, especially in developed states, said Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow. Expressing his support for the bill, Chow said the law would help address challenges in redeveloping buildings over 50 years old, which were built under conditions that are no longer suitable in terms of size and facilities.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Chow emphasized the importance of the URB in transforming aging infrastructures. 'What is the alternative if these buildings are not redeveloped? Fifty years will turn into 100 years...imagine the condition of those flats then. Do you want to live in a 400-square-foot flat for another 50 years? That is the question we need to raise,' he said. He cited the Mahsuri Bayan Baru flat project as an example of an urban renewal initiative carried out without the backing of legislation.

With the URB in place, Chow mentioned that such projects could proceed more smoothly as they would require only 80 percent owner consent instead of the current 100 percent threshold. He communicated this to reporters after the launch of the Lift-Off With Penang Silicon Design @5km+ (PSD@5km+) today.

Regarding the concern that the URB would reduce the authority of state governments and shift power to the federal government, Chow clarified that once a development has obtained strata ownership, the decision to redevelop rests with the individual property owner, not the developer or the state government. On August 19, Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming stated that the second and third readings of the bill were scheduled for August 28, marking a new direction in ensuring that urban development in Malaysia remains sustainable, advanced, prosperous, and inclusive.