Affordable Housing Supply Boosted To Ease Market Pressure
KUCHING: The Sarawak Government is strengthening its mechanisms to curb rising housing costs through a robust supply-driven development strategy.
Deputy Minister for Public Health, Housing and Local Government Datuk Michael Tiang Ming Tee said increasing the supply of affordable homes is essential to easing pressure on the open housing market.
He said this when responding to questions from Tanjung Batu Assemblyman Johnny Pang Leong Ming and Opar Assemblyman Billy Sujang during a question-and-answer session at the 19th Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) Sitting on Wednesday.
Datuk Michael said the Sarawak Government has implemented several affordability-focused policies including SPEKTRA Lite, SPEKTRA Medium and Sri Pertiwi, based on income eligibility to ensure targeted distribution of affordable units.
He added that a key mechanism is the Sarawak Housing Contribution Trust Fund which requires developers to pay a contribution in lieu of building affordable housing.
The fund enables statutory bodies to implement affordable housing projects in strategic locations.
“For Bintulu in particular, the Bintulu Development Authority (BDA) has allocated 528.31 acres in Sg. Plan, with a proposed development comprising 1,601 units under Phases 1, 2 and 3.
“These include 980 Putera Flats, 308 detached lots, and 313 terrace houses, with plans currently submitted to the State Planning Authority,” he said.
Datuk Michael added that complementary federal programmes, including Program Perumahan Rakyat (PPR), Program Residensi Rakyat (PRR), Urban Poor Eradication Programme (PPKB) and Rumah Mesra Rakyat (RMR), continue to strengthen supply and upgrade the standard of living for eligible urban communities.
The PPKB ceiling cost remains RM90,000 for new unit construction and RM20,000 for house repair, while the Housing Deposit and Repayment Assistance Scheme (HDRAS) eligibility has been expanded to include sub-sale and auctioned properties priced below RM300,000.
Meanwhile, he also outlined eligibility criteria for private affordable housing with household income between RM3,000 and RM6,000, except for Sri Pertiwi projects which allow income up to RM10,000. -UKASnews
