The perception of planning stakeholders in the implementation of Kajang Municipal Council local plan 2020 with reference to public facilities sector

Abstract

The study examines the implementation of the Kajang Municipal Council Local Plan 2020 with reference to public facilities sector. Local plan is the document containing policies that guide the way of development planning and Local governance. It is the lowest tier of administrative authority as required by the Town and Country Planning Act 1976 (Act 172) and Local Government Act 1976 (Act 171). It forms the basis of the development plan of a locality in Malaysia. However, the efficiency of its implementation is questioned by those who have an interest in the planning practice, namely the stakeholders. The public facilities sector was chosen as the research subject, because it has been regarded by the Federal Department of Town and Country Planning Peninsular Malaysia as one of the most important indicators of sustainable development. The planning principles for public facilities provision has been categorized into four scopes, namely (i) Availability, (ii) Quantity, (iii) Location, and (iv) Condition. Data collection was conducted in three main settlement areas within Mukim Kajang - Kajang Town, Bangi Town and Bandar Baru Bangi. The research methods comprised of field survey, observation and document analysis, wherein all the data were analysed using SPSS software. The key findings of this study include (i) Lack of Stakeholders Involvement in Decision Making Process, (ii) Lack of Awareness among the Local Community, (iii) Issues in Public Facilities Monitoring and Maintenance, and (iv) Inability to implement the Public Facilities. In order to increase the efficiency of its implementation, some recommendations based on these findings have been proposed, such as (i) improving the application and implementation of the local plan by involving all planning stakeholders in the preparation process, (ii) improving awareness among the local community by improving publicity methods during public participation, (iii) creating separate bodies at the local level that act as a planning inspectorate, to ensure the implementation of the local plan, (iv) technological applications to assist the planning of public facilities