Survey on high-rise woes

26/11/2007 The Star

PENANG: The state will conduct a detailed survey next year on the 1,000 problematic high-rise residential projects.

Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon said the survey, which was expected to take a few months, would focus on low-cost and low medium cost high-rise blocks.

He said it would be carried out together with the Housing and Local Government Ministry.

“In general, the low and low medium cost projects face more problems compared to the high-end ones as residents face different situations.

“It is therefore very challenging but from the survey, we hope to get the overall picture and address the problems ,'' he told reporters after opening the Amendments of Strata Title Act, Building & Common Property Act and Role of Commissioner of Building seminar at the Penang International Sports Arena (PISA) concourse yesterday.

Dr Koh said the state would also hold talks with the Government, Universiti Sains Malay-sia and volunteers to form an association of high-rise management corporations (MCs) so that there would be a channel for the MCs to voice their concerns.

He said problems faced by residents of high-rise projects were an ongoing one as high-rise living had become a norm in Penang due to land scarcity.

Earlier in his speech, Dr Koh said strata titles were issued to 981 projects, comprising 111,221 units from 1997 to 2007.