Kota Kinabalu: Some 4,000 affordable homes will be built in Sabah for the B40 category once a proposal to this effect is endorsed by the Federal and State governments.
Sabah Housing and Real Estate Developers Association (Shareda) has agreed to take it up as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to complement government efforts to provide the basic housing for the group.
Its President Datuk Chua Soon Ping said Shareda aims to propose building the PPR units as the State Government has agreed to allocate 60 acres somewhere between 1Borneo Hypermall and University Malaysia Sabah (UMS).
He said Shareda would engage big Sabah-based developers to deliver these units with no abandonment risk.
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“The gist is to build 500,000 PPR units of houses for B40 by 2025 nationwide and we want to complement this noble government effort.
“Our Chief Minister announced in our last Shareda nite that the State Government is allocating 60 acres for the purpose.
“Shareda will propose to build 4,000 units within two years and get big developers to join in,” he said, at Shareda’s Pesta Angpow luncheon with bankers and media. He said the Federal Government is going to invest more than RM1 billion to realise this proposal.
“We propose to build four-storey blocks with each unit having three bedrooms and two bathrooms in 750 sq ft space. We also propose to build 80 PPR units in one acre and the rest till the end. The 60-acre land is a good site as there is a there is a lot of public transport that can be accessed, making it easier for the residents.
“We wouldn’t want to build the units far from here such as Kota Belud when many of the residents are working in the State Capital.”
He said many poor people cannot afford to buy and own houses in the city.
“We need people (contractors/suppliers) like supplying ready mix cement contractors to come in so that there is a constant supply for building the units.
“Otherwise Sabah will face logistic problem which we will try to avoid,” he said, adding he foresees each unit would cost RM250,000 because building materials in Sabah cost more.
Hence, he said, they might ask for more funding to ensure during the two years fluctuation prices would not dilute the profit margin.
“So, for developers to incur losses, this cannot happen because we are public-listed companies and need to report to shareholders.
“We cannot insist on the profit margin so much as we want to build quality houses for them. At least, there is breakeven and a little bit profit overhead, then we are okay.”
Chua said Shareda would try as much as possible to include green building elements like installing rainwater harvesting and maybe put solar panels.
To a question, he said, Federal now is now favouring “en bloc” which means building everything and selling to them (Federal Government).
He said “En Bloc” means finishing products and getting the OC and then deliver to the Ministry of Local Government and Housing (KPKT) and Kota Kinabalu City Hall DBKK which would manage the units.
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