Enhancing One Stop Centre in the Malaysian Planning System

¹ Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Selangor, Malaysia
² Subang Jaya Municipal Council, Subang, Malaysia

^* Corresponding author: marlyana@salam.uitm.edu.my

Abstract

Malaysia has been experiencing rapid development since its independence in 1957, which has transformed its economic base from agriculture to industry. Rapid urbanisation has itself led to the continued rise of economic growth and the need for obtaining permissions from the relevant authorities to ensure an effective and efficient planning system. This effort is evidenced by the improvement of mechanism delivery system of planning and building plan process, known as One Stop Centre (OSC). The Ministry of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government initiated OSC on the 13^th April 2007 to improve the planning delivery system and procedures at all local planning authorities by coordinating and shortening the approval process. However, relatively little is known about the effectiveness of OSC and the understanding of its roles among the stakeholders in the local authority. Therefore, a questionnaires survey has been conducted to forty-seven (47) respondents and interviews with the public that involved in the process. The respondents have mostly felt that the ineffectiveness of the planning and building plan approval process was due to the incomplete documents submitted to the OSC, lack of knowledge among the Professional Submitting Person (PSP) and the incapability of staffs in handling development applications. Hence, the findings present a synthesis of results for town planners, architects, developers and government agencies to have a better understanding of OSC. Thus, the knowledge serves as a basis for future strategic planning decisions and guidance in the delivery system in Malaysia.