When you’re staying in urban Selangor, that convenient mechanic situated just a couple of hundred meters away from your own home may eventually be history. That’s since the state government is trying to move automotive workshops away from residential areas and relocate them in designated light industrial zones, as The Star reports.
The relocation plan is aimed toward easing congestion, curbing pollution and stopping operators from occupying priceless public parking bays, said state local government and tourism committee chairman Datuk Ng Suee Lim. He said that a variety of residents had complained about noise from revving engines and compressors, in addition to vehicles spilling into back lanes and public parking spaces.
He said that this may be a gradual move, with reminders to existing workshops to relocate. He added that the transition was ongoing and guided by environmental regulations, as such activities weren’t suitable near homes.
Current operators had been briefed on the plans, with many complying. Nonetheless, some remain reluctant. “Local councils will give workshop operators ample time to shift with an agreed deadline. Nonetheless, if the operators are adamant and select not to maneuver then the council could have to impose the law,” he said, without providing details on the laws involved.
Ng said that almost all of the local authorities in Selangor had agreed to put aside specific areas for such businesses. “One solution is to centralise workshops in light industrial zones, where layouts might be properly planned for tools, work areas and storage,” he told the publication. “Recent applications will only be approved if the companies are situated in light industrial areas,” he added.
Within the case of Subang Jaya, city council (MBSJ) deputy mayor Mohd Zulkurnain Che Ali said the Subang Jaya Draft Local Plan 2035 (Amendment 1) stipulated that vehicle workshops could only be approved in industrial areas, and that MBSJ wouldn’t issue any latest licences for such activities in mixed developments.
“Seven temporary permits have been issued in Taman Puncak Jalil and Taman Lestari Perdana in Seri Kembangan, to regularise existing operations. The MBSJ eorcement department has also issued 379 notices for workshops to relocate within the Subang Jaya area,” he said.
For Shah Alam, its then mayor Datuk Mohd Fauzi Mohd Yatim said vehicle workshops, automobile wash operators, tyre shops and accessory outlets must comply with the Shah Alam city council’s (MBSA) Vehicle Service Activity Guideline. He said that MBSA held a town hall session in November last 12 months to transient operators on the rule of thumb.
“As of July 2025, 545 workshop applications were received by MBSA. Of those, 177 were approved, 142 were granted temporary conditional licences, 11 were deferred and 215 rejected,” he said.
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This Article First Appeared At paultan.org
