SUBANG Jaya Municipal Council's (MPSJ) programme to approve illegal renovations of terrace houses may include bungalows and semi-detached homes later.
Councillor Pooi Weng Keong said the matter needed to be reviewed before a decision could be made.
Currently, the programme to legalise renovations that did not get council approval was only for owners of terrace houses, he said, adding that 85,000 notices were issued to the owners asking them to submit new building plans to legalise their home renovations by Aug 31.
Pooi said the letters were issued to all terrace house owners in Subang Jaya and not only to those who had renovated their homes illegally.
“We sent out the notice to inform all residents of the legalisation programme and to get those concerned to come forward with their documents to legalise their renovations or extensions.”
The programme was extended from Aug 1 last year to Aug 31 this year.
So far, MPSJ has received 1,100 applications from homeowners to legalise their renovations.
On June 5, StarMetro reported that Puchong Jaya residents were concerned over the legalisation programme and the consequences of not complying.
Failure to submit new plans by the date will result in the council tearing down illegal extensions with homeowners having to bear the costs, as provided for under Section 72 of the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974 (Act 133).
Residents in Puchong Jaya urged the council to exclude them from the programme as they said their homes were built long ago and most of them did not have the building and renovation plans to submit to MPSJ.
However, Pooi said the programme did not seek to penalise homeowners with hefty fines or scare them but merely to assist housebuyers and owners, so that they would not be caught in MPSJ’s building approval processes.
“Under this programme, homeowners are asked to consult an architect or draughtsman for a new plan and submit them to the council for approval,” he said, adding that the focus was also on houses with renovations or extensions that have deviated from approval plans as well as homeowners without the Certificate of Completion and Compliance (CCC).
Homeowners can appoint their previous architect or draughtsman or select those listed on the council’s website.
As an incentive to encourage homeowners to submit their plans for approval under the programme, MPSJ has agreed to waive the penalty, which is nine times the processing fee.
Instead they will be charged a flat rate of RM500 compound and the processing fee for the plan.
Another councillor Ken Chia said there had been engagements with residents through their representatives, and the notice served as a reminder and to inform them about the extension of the legalisation programme.
He said residents should consult their area councillor or contact the council’s Building Department for more details.
A brochure on the programme is available at MPSJ headquarters. For details, call 03-8026 7483/7498 or visit www.mpsj.gov.my
