Release Date : 30th April 2009

I wish to clarify that the Department of Lands and Surveys Sarawak has never set any precondition for old shophouses to be reconstructed before approval can be given for renewal of land leases. There is no requirement in the Renewal of Land Leases Policy stipulating that shophouse owners are not permitted to renew their land leases prior to rebuilding or redeveloping their old shophouses. This is in response to the statement by State DAP publicity secretary, David Wong which stated that the government has indirectly forced shophouse owners in Miri to rebuild shophouses before approval can be given for renewal of land leases,

As far as the Miri City Centre Redevelopment Project is concerned, the Department has not received any application for renewal of land leases from the shophouse owners involved in the Redevelopment Project. The Department had thus far only processed the application for redevelopment submitted by the appointed consultant for the project, which had been subsequently forwarded to the State Planning Authority (SPA) for approval.

Therefore, I wish to emphasise that rebuilding of shophouses under the Miri City Centre Redevelopment Project is not related at all with the process of renewing the leases. However, I would like to acknowledge here that redevelopment of old shophouses will certainly contribute towards enhancing the aesthetic value of the Miri City landscape, and therefore such beautification effort should indeed be lauded.

Records of the Department shows that under Phase One of the Miri Redevelopment Project, 27 units of shophouses along High Street had been rebuilt following the existing lot boundaries after the approval was given by SPA on August 9, 2003, for an extension of 60-year term. Under Phase Two of the project which involves 29 units of shophouses along Kingsway Road and Bendahara Road, approval had also been received from SPA on July 25, 2005 with the extension of title term for 60 years. The final phase of the project involving 49 units of shophouses along China Street and Bendahara Road had also been approved for a 60-year extension term by SPA on June 14, 2007.

The Department of Lands and Surveys has always been committed in expediting the process of land leases renewal and towards this end, the task of renewing agricultural and residential leases where the market value of the land has been predetermined is delegated to Superintendents of Lands and Surveys in all divisional offices throughout Sarawak. The move is essentially to facilitate expeditious approval in renewing the land leases.

The policy on land leases renewal, announced on May 26, 2007, and further refined on February 4, 2009, allows the application for renewal of leases to be made at any time before the leases expired, provided that the land is not required for any government development purposes and the utilisation of land is not in breach of the land’s title condition.

Rozlan bin Putit
Superintendent of Lands and Surveys Miri Division