Illegal extensions rampant

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KUCHING: More than 70 per cent of residential and commercial buildings here have extensions that were built illegally.

Kuching South mayor Datuk James Chan pointed out that the construction of extensions without permission from local authorities is a long standing issue.

“I must admit the problem is very serious, not only in Kuching but everywhere. We do have by-laws to tackle the issue, but the thing is, when there is already some sort of illegal extension within a neighbourhood or a shophouse building, others will follow suit.

“When approached, these house owners or shophouse owners will argue that if others could, why can’t they,” Chan told The Borneo Post recently.

He said local authorities might have come up with solutions at different points in time to deal with the problem, such as granting clemency, where property owners with illegal extensions could come forward to settle the issue once and for all.

However, there has still been no effective solution for local authorities such as Kuching South City Council (MBKS).

“We need a statewide solution that is applicable to all councils to solve the problem at its root. We have been discussing about the problem, and it has been studied carefully. At this stage, we have yet to come up with a solution,” said Chan.

He explained that at present, MBKS’ stance was that if extensions are done in residential buildings due to family growth, the council may not pursue the case if there are no complaints from the neighbours.

“But if it involves illegally extending a residential house into a business premises, then this is a different matter as that may cause some inconvenience and unwanted disturbance within the neighbourhood. We will take a harsher approach in handling such cases,” he said.

Chan said MBKS would always prefer a more friendly approach in handling illegal extension cases with the aim of finding an amicable solution.

In cases where property owners are required to dismantle illegal structures, MBKS has found they usually comply following a grace period.

For owners who refuse to comply, MBKS would first issue warning letters and later try to meet with property owners to explain the legal implications and persuade them to dismantle the structures.

Forcefully tearing down any illegal structures against the will of the property owner is the last resort that MBKS would always try to avoid.