Developers working in sinkhole-prone areas will have to clear technical assessments and checks on ageing utilities before local councils approve development, according to KPKT's account of the 51st National Physical Planning Council meeting on 12 October 2026.
The decision matters before the first booking form, because it moves a geological-safety question into the approval stage instead of leaving buyers to discover risk only after a project is already being marketed. KPKT said public safety and geological risk must be addressed early in development planning.
The council, chaired by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, also approved the Fifth National Physical Plan and the Third National Urbanisation Policy. RFN5 covers Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Labuan until 2040, with land use, natural resources and disaster resilience in scope. DPN3 covers 203 cities under 101 local authorities in Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan until 2035.
For buyers, the practical question to ask on hillside, limestone or flood-prone land is simple: what site investigation has been done, what utilities run under or near the site, and which local authority conditions must be cleared before construction proceeds. For agents, it is worth asking for the approval conditions before presenting a project as safe just because it is open for sale.
MPFN also urged state governments to improve quality public open spaces and speed up gazettement so access to safe recreational areas is protected. That is less immediate than the sinkhole-risk rule, but it matters for owners in new townships where parks are often promised long before they are legally secured.
Sources: Bernama via Media Selangor, FMT, New Straits Times.
