TAIPING, Dec 8 — The local authorities must expedite the gazetting of open spaces in their respective areas to prevent misuse by any parties, said Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming.
Based on the Town and Country Planning Department's statistics, 20,868 hectares of public open spaces nationwide are available for development, with only 39 per cent of them having been gazetted.
"The local authorities must expedite the submission to gazette (these spaces) to the Land and Mines Offices, as most public spaces were handed over by private entities during development projects, before obtaining planning approval.
"Some gazetted public spaces were developed into parks…if the areas are not gazetted, it creates an opportunity for misuse by irresponsible parties," he said.
Nga was speaking to the press after officiating the National Landscape Department's Sentuhan Kejayaan KPKT 2024 programme and launching the National Landscape Policy 2.0 today.
He expressed hope that local authorities nationwide can proceed to gazette the relevant areas next year and get allocations to develop the spaces from the National Landscape Department and Local Government Department.
On KPKT's achievements this year, Nga said the National Landscape Department has undertaken 109 landscape development projects nationwide, with a total expenditure of RM51.9 million.
Among the completed projects are the Vision Public Park in Kepala Batas, Penang, and two urban landscape projects in Pekan, Pahang, and Dungun, Terengganu.
The National Landscape Department receives RM96 million in allocation under Budget 2025.
"Among the new projects for next year are the development of the Labuan Botanical Garden in the Federal Territory of Labuan (RM5 million), two Landscape Master Plan projects for the Yan District Council and Kuala Pilah District Council, each allocated RM1 million, 111 Madani Recreational Parks, as well as the Taiping Lake Gardens Conservation Project in Taiping, Perak, with a total allocation of RM10 million," he said.
— Bernama
