In 1921, the Department of Town and Country Planning was established in Kuala Lumpur
with the appointment of Mr Charles C. Reade, an Englishman, as the Government
Planning Officer for the Federated Malay States (Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang).
In 1929, the Town Planning Office in Ipoh was opened but it subsequently closed in
1933 due to financial difficulties. Town planning was at that time carried out for major
towns like Ipoh, Taiping, Kuala Kangsar and Teluk Intan. Reade’s role was only to provide for
connecting roads and plan residential reas concisely and on a small scale.
On 10 April 1931, the town plan for Ipoh was gazetted as the "Ipoh (Kinta) Town Plan B3",
better known as Plan B3.
.jpg)
On 1 June 1956, the Perak State Town and Regional Planning Office was established with 7
personnel in the Ipoh City Hall building. On 1 January 1959, the Perak State Department of Town
and Country Planning was created and its services expanded to cover the entire state.
Its personnel increased to 20 in 1970 and it currently has a staff of 86.
The increase is in line with current needs and the challenges of rapid development of the state,
especially in respect of town and country planning. Thus its role in preparing town plans has been
extended to all towns and major settlements in Perak and development planning is based on these plans.
