20,000 units of affordable homes to be built in Sabah in 5 yrs

KOTA KINABALU: A smart partnership between the Sabah Housing and Town Development Authority (SHTDA) and a peninsula-based developer will see 20,000 units of affordable homes built throughout Sabah in the next five years.

SHTDA general manager Jenar Lamda after a briefing with the developer Probil Sonati Development Sdn Bhd here on Tuesday, Feb 8, said the project was a follow-up of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in 2008.

The project involving RM2 billion will be carried out in four phases with support from Bank Rakyat, Maybank, EON Bank and Etiqa Insurance, she told a press conference.

Sonati Group Bhd chairman and president Datuk Ir Nik Mokhtar Hassan on a cautious note however, said the project would be based on demand, depending on feasibility studies.

According to him, the first phase would be launched in May this year with 6,000 units of terrace houses in Kunak, Kudat and Sandakan to be completed within two years, incurring costs amounting to RM616 million.

Other areas that have been identified for the project are Tawau, Kota Kinabalu, Papar, Tuaran, and the interior towns.

Apart from terrace houses the types of homes that would be built are apartments, semi-detached houses and bungalows. The price range of the units are between RM85,000 and RM2 million and comparably lower than those in the same class.

Jenar added that apart from the basic three-bedroom two bathroom features, the homes would be value-added with modern facilities such as wi-fi and broadband access to cater to the next generation.

"The demand for such housing is there. Through this project, we hope the mission of the government to provide affordable homes will be achieved," he said. — Bernama