The Legal Impact of Development Plans in Delivering Sustainable Development : A Reference to the Town and Country Planning Act 1976 and the Federal Territory (Planning) Act 1982

Town and Country Planning Act 1976 (TCPA) and the Federal Territory (Planning) Act 1982 (FTA) have laid down important provisions relating to development plans which play a vital role in controlling the development of the country. The development plans which consist of National Physical Plan, Structure Plan, Local Plan and Special Area Plan is aimed to translate the government’s policies with regards to country’s development into action so that the development will be more systematic and sustainable. To be a fully developed country by the year 2020, Malaysia has put a great effort to utilize all available resources to boost up its status whether in economy, industry, technology, physical and infrastructure development as well as agricultural aspect. However, this effort posed a great danger to the environment sustainability should the authority failed to monitor and implement a proper development plan as required by the law. This paper intends to look into the role and impact of the development plans in regulating land use and development in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and other states in the Peninsular Malaysia particularly the State of Selangor and Penang. The TCPA and the FTA has given a difference approach towards the implementation of the development plans and this will directly affect the decision of the local authorities. Decided cases pertaining to this issue will also be discussed. Finally, at the end of the article recommendations and conclusion will be presented