Rehda

CYBERJAYA (Aug 16): The Real Estate and Housing Developers' Association Malaysia (Rehda) (pictured) hopes that the proposed single entity to oversee affordable housing will be different from the rest as there is more urgency now to ensure the issues faced are addressed promptly.

Rehda immediate past president Datuk Seri Fateh Iskandar Mohamed Mansor said he was pleased with the housing ministry’s plan to establish the single entity.

“We developers are looking forward to the one-stop agency, but we hope it will be unlike other agencies before this. We hope this time, the agency will really provide developers with the guidelines and engagement.

“At the end of the day, it should work with us as we can provide (the industry's) input. After all, we carry the burden (as developers), we well as that of consultants and bankers too,” he said in his keynote address at the opening of the Sustainable Housing Futures Conference today.

Last month, Rehda Institute in its report on affordable housing had proposed for the formation of a special purpose central agency under the housing and local government ministry “to redefine the roles of the public and private sectors in providing affordable homes under a holistic master planning”.

Fateh Iskandar also addressed the challenges in the development of sustainable housing, in particular raising the need to strengthen enforcement of sustainable building.

“Instead of passing more new laws, we should instead tweak or re-legislate certain framework for green technology. We already have the laws, but we just need to work on them to make it more efficient and friendly.

“There’s a lot of building codes and regulation but none for green technology or building. So it’s a matter of educating ourselves,” he added.

Earlier at the conference, Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Ministry deputy secretary-general of policy Dr Mary Wong Lai Lin said sound public policy is essential to address the affordable housing challenges.

“We have advocated that this should precide with a central authority that oversees and coordinates affordable housing initiatives for the country. This will promote greater strategic and operational cohesion at the national level," she said in her speech on behalf of her Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin who could not attend.

"Regulatory processes to reduce the cost of supplying affordable homes will be reviewed and streamlined,” she added. — theedgemarkets.com

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