MALAYSIANS’ rapidly changing lifestyle has heralded changes in the way people want to live and new innovations in living spaces in many parts of the country, notably in Kuala Lumpur.

Industry players are urging the authorities to review legislations governing the property industry to keep up with the times and adopt a proactive approach in planning for the infrastructure needs of the country.

At the recent National Real Estate Convention in Kuala Lumpur, speakers and participants raised some teething issues that included the need for a review of the Strata Title Act with respect to landed strata developments and the lack of road infrastructure master plan for each development area or zone.

The two-day convention was organised by FIABCI Malaysia Chapter, Association of Valuers & Property Consultants in Private Practice and The Institution of Surveyors, Malaysia.

According to AJC Planning Consultants Sdn Bhd director Ahmad Jefri Clyde, who spoke on Innovative Development Planning, competition in the real estate industry to capture a part of the maturing urban market would lead to the adoption of a wide variety of innovative solutions.

Legislations are needed to address specific issues such as earthworks and development on steep land and the confusion generated by the Strata Title Act with respect to landed strata developments. ''Expected solutions could include the emergence of stilt houses on slope land and using the flexibility of the landed strata provisions to address infrastructure issues,'' he said.

Kumpulan Sierramas Sdn Bhd executive director Bernard Tan, who spoke on Practical Issues of Gated Development in Malaysia, said lifestyle developments such as landed homes within gated communities had become popular among Malaysians.

''There is a need to review the Strata Title Act that now only applies to high-rise residential units but not landed homes. The growing number of such developments in many parts of the country, especially the Klang Valley, has created the necessity for such homes to be covered within the ambit of the Act,'' he told StarBiz.

Speaking on Outlook for Future Development of Infrastructure for Real Estate, KLIA Consultancy Services Sdn Bhd deputy president Liang Hian Ching said the ever-changing lifestyle and increasing population had necessitated an ''outside-the-box'' rethinking of infrastructure development in real estate.

Due to the inadequate actions by developers in many projects, these places have suffered from deterioration or inadequacy after sometime and this has affected the living environment of the local population.

''The root cause for this is inadequate planning for the main trunk road system by local authorities. The only solution is to have road infrastructure masterplans for each potential development to define the routes and reserves of the main trunk roads for compliance by all developers in the respective areas,'' Liang said.

Source : The Star  11/7/2005