©The Sun (Used by permission)
by Husna Yusop

SUBANG JAYA (May 8, 2007): As promised by the government, the proposed One-Stop Centre (OSC) to speed up approval of development projects will be up and running by mid-June.

Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said today the ministry was recruiting 533 staff for all 94 local authorities in the peninsula to ensure the OSCs were implemented within the time frame stipulated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

"The ministry will start recruiting the relevant people and train them before sending them to serve in the local authorities under the OSC concept," Ong said after opening a four-day 16th Southeast Asian Geotechnical Conference 2007.

In the meantime, he said, the ministry would send out more than 40 town planners to strategic local councils which deal with a lot of development projects. 

"So, while waiting, we have sent out some experienced staff to the local authorities," he said.

The OSC was mooted to ensure housing development projects under the Build Then Sell (BTS) concept are approved within four to six months.

The new staff being recruited would comprise town planners, architects, engineers, technical assistants and support personnel, as requested by the local councils, Ong said.

"I am confident that by mid-June, all of them would be ready to receive (development proposal) applications and apply the methods according to the work charter," he said.

The ministry has prepared a flow chart detailing each technical department's work processes and time frames to ensure fast approval.

On April 13, the prime minister announced comprehensive changes for the property development sector, including the setting up of OSCs, replacing the Certificate of Fitness for Occupancy (CFO) with the Certificate of Completion and Compliance (CCC), and giving incentives to developers who adopt the BTS concept.

Local authorities were given two months to fully implement the OSC.

Ong said only projects approved after April 13 would be subjected to the CCC.

"During this interim period, all projects which had already started will be conducted according to the old CFO system," he added.