PETALING JAYA: The burden of a new mortgage could be a deal-breaker causing homeowners to oppose the proposed Urban Redevelopment Act (URA), although it aims to improve the quality of life of residents in identified areas, among others, through redevelopment projects.
One such location is Taman Pusat Kepong, one of over a hundred sites identified by the Town and Country Planning Department and Kuala Lumpur City Hall as suitable for urban renewal within the capital city.
Vimala Vetiperiannen, a homeowner in the area, expressed her concerns, saying that her family has only two years left on their housing loan.
“I don’t want to spend another 20-odd years repaying the loan. Plus, it’s not like we are living in a hazardous place. It’s comfortable for my family and we get along well with our neighbours,” the 45-year-old housewife told theSun when met in Taman Pusat Kepong on Tuesday.
She said the apartment where she lives with her husband and two children cost them only RM80,000 when they bought it in 2000.
“If our flat is torn down to make way for a new building, I imagine the price will skyrocket.”
Another resident, Chong Tan Koon, 78, said although the apartment where he lives with his wife and children is old, he wouldn’t trade it for a new one – especially if it means that his family would have to apply for a new mortgage.
“There’s hardly any crime in the area, and my family has lived here for over 20 years. I just don’t see the benefits for me or my family from this proposed Act.”
He said in recent years there has, however, been an influx of foreigners renting flats in the surrounding areas.
Checks by theSun found that the rent for a basic three-bedroom unit at Greenview Apartment, one of the oldest apartment blocks in the area, is about RM900 per month.
Meanwhile, Taman Pusat Kepong Residents Association committee member Ng Be Pak, 62, said while the area may need a new recreational park, new housing projects are unnecessary.
“Yes, it is congested here, and even the public field behind the association’s building has been turned into a private car park. However, I respectfully reject the idea
of tearing down the building to construct a new one.”
The URA, proposed by Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming, seeks to lower the homeowner consent threshold for urban renewal projects from the current 100% to 80%.
The ministry has identified 534 potential redevelopment sites in Peninsular Malaysia, including 139 within Kuala Lumpur, covering 13.4% of the city’s total area, with a combined gross development value of RM355.3 billion.
Set to be tabled in the next Parliament session in July, the URA has sparked heated debates among property developers and homeowners, with key concerns revolving around the percentage of Bumiputera ownership and the “en bloc” sale of entire strata developments.
This has raised fears of potential displacement, particularly among lower-income house owners.
One of the most contentious issues surrounding the URA is the consent threshold, with critics arguing that it may disproportionately affect Malay communities and lower- to middle-income urban groups (B40 and M40).
