00:00Will non-Islamic houses of worship no longer be allowed in Salangu's commercial areas?
00:05The Salangu government has defended new planning guidelines that bar such houses of worship from
00:10being built in commercial areas. A spokesman from the Muntri Besar's office said the guidelines
00:15were based on feedback received by local councils from residents living near commercial areas.
00:21The spokesman told FMT the new rules are meant to improve traffic flow and parking,
00:25as commercial areas have limited space and may not be able to meet the needs of religious
00:30communities. The spokesman also said the rules apply only to new developments and will not affect
00:36existing houses of worship in commercial or other premises. He added that future residential
00:42developments will include gazetted land for both Muslim and non-Muslim houses of worship.
00:47The clarification comes after Pataling Jaya MP Li Qiancheng raised concerns over the recently
00:53published Salangu state planning guidelines and standards for community facilities,
00:58which were approved at a state ex-co meeting on November 12 last year. Li said the restrictions
01:03could affect many religious groups in Salangu as many currently use commercial or industrial
01:08buildings due to a lack of approved land.
01:10Dan Sharjah Rizzo, FMT.
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