Minister of Development Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Muhammad Juanda bin Haji Abdul Rashid on the last day of the First Meeting of the 22nd Session of the Legislative Council (LegCo) yesterday outlined the steps currently practiced to make new buildings more inclusive, safer, and accessible to all members of society, especially persons with different abilities.
Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Muhammad Juanda was responding to a question raised by LegCo member Yang Berhormat Hajah Safiah binti Sheikh Haji Abdul Salam on the mechanisms to ensure that buildings in the country achieve 100 per cent compliance with the Different Abilities Design Guideline (DADG) by 2035.
For new buildings, the minister shared, “The Authority for Building Control and Construction Industry (ABCi) has established mandatory requirements for compliance with inclusive design in the process of plan approval and completion of new commercial buildings submitted by a qualified person appointed by the developer.”
He added, “The requirement came into effect on September 1, 2024. It includes the provision of facilities such as barrier-free access routes, user-friendly toilets, ramps, designated parking, and appropriate navigation facilities. With this requirement, any development application is considered incomplete if an Acccessibility Provision Report is not submitted.”
For existing buildings, he highlighted, “The ministry, through its relevant agencies, has initiated phased upgrade works to make buildings more user-friendly for persons with disabilities, particularly public buildings and facilities frequently used by the public.”
In addition, he said, “The ministry continues to enhance industry awareness and compliance with these guidelines through technical briefings, design manuals, and collaboration with professionals in the construction industry”.
The ministry, he also revealed, “is reviewing measures to further improve the systematic implementation of the DADG, including aligning it with planning and development control standards, so that inclusive design can be consistently applied in future new building developments”.
(news source: Borneo Bulletin; pic source: Info Foto, Jabatan Penerangan)
