THE Selangor government has confirmed that approval has been given for the development of the Shah Alam Sports Complex to replace the existing Shah Alam Stadium.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said that approval for the project was received from the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) on Friday.
This means that the demolition of the present stadium at the site will go ahead to pave the way for the reconstruction.
“Just got the approval from MBSA yesterday (Friday),” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, in response to queries on the development project over the messaging platform.
The planning permission for the sports complex project was submitted on November 15.
The state government had concurrently also sent an application for the demolition of the old stadium at a cost of RM35.5 million.
Amirudin had said in late September that the new complex would be targeted for completion by 2026.
The state had also previously announced that the planned landmark and its surrounding facilities would have a new look, through a collaboration with Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad (MRCB) at an estimated cost of RM787 million.
It was expected to cover an area of 76.08ha.
The Vibes has previously reported feedback that the present stadium is no longer able to accommodate the role it was built for in 1990.
In particular, there have been concerns about the lack safety aspects at the venue and its state of disrepair.
The complex will have a new international standard stadium with the capacity of 35,000 to 45,000 spectators.
It would feature specifications set by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and International Football Federation (FIFA), football’s highest governing bodies for Asia and the world respectively. These specifications would also highly influence the design of the new stadium.
There have also been concerns that the Selangor government spends around RM6 million per year just for basic maintenance of the old stadium.
According to the state government, the Shah Alam Sports Complex will be materialised through a public-private partnership.
It has been reported that sixty percent of the complex area will be allocated for sports activities while the other 40 percent will be used as a public recreation space. – The Vibes, December 25, 2023
