JOHOR BAHRU: The Johor Fast Lane launched by Johor Bahru City Council on Jan 1 last year has met with lukewarm response with only five applications received in one year.

Johor Bahru Mayor Datuk Mohd Noorazam Osman said Johor Fast Lane is open to five sectors – private facilities such as hospitals and colleges, convenience stores at petrol stations, factories and showrooms, retail sector such as supermarkets, shops and restaurants and hospitality sector such as hotels and homestay establishments.

Johor Fast Lane cuts short application time for a construction project with the council, from 39 days to only seven days.

Citing an example, Mohd Noorazam said a fast food outlet applying for Johor Fast Lane with a complete set of documents would only need 10 months for the entire process from construction to the commencement of operation.

He was of the view that the state government and Johor Bahru City Council would need to enhance publicity for the city’s development.

The council, represented by Mohd Noorazam, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with 12 technical agencies under the state government to strengthen the implementation of Johor Fast Lane, at Menara MBJB on Tuesday.

Johor Fast Lane, which has officially come into effect from January 1, 2023, is an initiative to facilitate investors for various types of development through actions such as speeding up the process of licensing, documentation and application.

There are six initiatives offered to investors through Johor Fast Lane, namely early technical coordination, simultaneous approval, early site entry permission, early license application, early machine installation, as well as time and cost savings.

To attract more foreign investors to Johor Bahru, Mohd Noorazam said the application process for development projects had to be efficient when the Johor state government is promoting Johor- Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ).