ALOR STAR: The Women, Family, and Community Development Ministry wants housing developers to include children’s nurseries in their planning for new housing developments.
Its deputy minister Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun said the proposal was the result of meetings held by the action committee for nurseries, together with various ministries, government agencies, departments, non-governmental organisations, and the Association of Registered Childcare Providers Malaysia (ARCPM).
“One of the suggestions given was that, when housing developers draw up plans for a new development, that they identify a suitable corner lot, which they can then apply for a dual usage for the unit – residential and nursery.
“If the developers support this, this means we can ensure new housing developments have sufficient lots or buildings to set up nurseries, and then the nursery operators can then buy up the lots,” she told reporters after a visit to Taska Penyayang Sejahtera here yesterday.
In elaborating further, Chew said the existence of a nursery in a housing development can be a selling point for developers, and when they build houses with dual usage, they would then also look into safety features for the houses, as well as the traffic condition.
“Previously, there were many problems when applying for licence with the local councils, as operators needed to get the neighbours’ consent before opening a nursery in their vicinity.
“But when developers include the nursery aspect in their plan, buyers will have to take note. After that, the buyers cannot object, because when they buy the property, it is stated clearly that the house beside theirs is a nursery,” she said.
Chew said she was in the midst of making an appointment with the Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association (REHDA) to brief them as well as to get their support for the proposal.
The action committee was set up in 2014 with the purpose of promoting the concept for parents to send their children to nurseries registered with the welfare department.