29/04/2026
𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐀 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐁𝐘 𝐑𝐄𝐇𝐃𝐀 𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐔𝐓𝐄
𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐘𝐁 𝐍𝐠𝐚 𝐊𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐄𝐇𝐃𝐀 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐔𝐊 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡‑𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞
𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐆𝐄 / 𝐊𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐀 𝐋𝐔𝐌𝐏𝐔𝐑 – The REHDA Institute’s 2026 UK Asia Real Estate Leaders (AREL) Study Tour culminated in a high-level policy discourse at the University of Cambridge, marking the final leg of a week-long mission to redefine urban living.
Led and curated by REHDA Institute, a social enterprise and regional strategic think tank for the real estate industry, the mission brought together over 30 C-suite leaders and senior stakeholders with YB Nga Kor Ming, Malaysia’s Minister of Housing and Local Government, as the Guest of Honour, underscoring Malaysia’s growing engagement with global best practices in urban development.
𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 “𝐔𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧” 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
Opening the mission’s strategic forums in London, Dato’ Jeffrey Ng Tiong Lip, Chairman of REHDA Institute, highlighted the shared challenges. “Whether in London or Kuala Lumpur, cities are facing remarkably similar realities: ageing building stock, rising demand for affordable housing, and the need for regeneration that is both economically viable and socially inclusive,” Dato’ Jeffrey Ng noted. “Malaysia and the United Kingdom face the same urban equation. By combining the UK’s deep expertise in rail-led master planning with Malaysia’s growth momentum, we create a powerful platform for sustainable city-making.”
𝐀 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲: 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐳𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐱 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫
On 23 March, the mission moved to Brabazon Bristol, a 380-acre development that is one of the largest brownfield regeneration projects in the UK and is being transformed under the stewardship of YTL, showcasing Malaysian-led excellence in the UK. The site was presented to the delegation by senior YTL leaders, including Yeoh Keong Yeen, Colin Skellett and Baldip Singh. Masterplanned as a transit-oriented “new town” with thousands of homes, jobs, education facilities and green spaces anchored by the Aviva Arena and historic hangars, and centred on the new Bristol Brabazon train station which will connect the district to Bristol city centre and into wider regional networks. A technical briefing at Wessex Water highlighted advanced, sustainability-focused utility systems serving 2.9 million residents, with the session showcasing real-time network monitoring and data-driven maintenance.
Colin Skellett, Chief Executive of YTL Group UK, said: “Brabazon represents one of the biggest brownfield regeneration projects in the country, so we’re proud to have the opportunity to showcase the progress we’re making and our long-term vision to officials who seek to achieve the same goals in Malaysia. “Just simply building more houses is not the answer to addressing the UK’s housing crisis. We need infrastructure and reliable public transport to support development and growth, and that’s exactly what we’re investing in for the north of Bristol. “It’s also about placemaking, building communities and creating jobs for people to live, work and play in their local area. Brabazon represents a fully mixed-use destination, with thousands of homes, state-of-the-art office, commercial and recreational spaces, a community hub in the restored Spitfire Hangar and the Aviva Arena at YTL Arena Bristol at the heart of it all.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐮𝐦: 𝐀 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
During the Cambridge leg on 24 March, YB Nga and the senior delegation were formally received at the Master’s Lodge, Downing College, University of Cambridge, by Professor Graham Virgo KC, the Master of Downing College, providing an opportunity to engage directly with the University of Cambridge’s leadership on shared priorities in education, governance and urban innovation.
The intellectual peak of the mission took place at The Howard Theatre, Downing College, University of Cambridge. The Forum on Housing and Urban Planning was organised by REHDA Institute in a prestigious collaboration between the University of Cambridge’s Department of Architecture and Department of Land Economy, Anglia Ruskin University, the Ministry of Housing and Local Government Malaysia and the Cambridge University Malaysia Society (CUMAS).
The Keynote Address was delivered by YB Nga Kor Ming, Minister of Housing and Local Government Malaysia, as the Guest of Honour. “Malaysia’s strong economic growth and improving global competitiveness show our resilience—now is the time to deepen strategic partnerships with the world’s top institutions,” stated YB Nga. “Under the leadership of Prime Minister YAB Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, and guided by the 13th Malaysia Plan’s focus on sustainable urban growth and infrastructure investment, the Madani Government is driving inclusive, sustainable development. By partnering with leading UK universities such as Cambridge, we will accelerate innovation in housing, planning, and governance to deliver more resilient and future-ready cities.”
A key highlight of the programme was the soft launch of *International Strata and Leasehold Management: Law, Policy, and Practice*, a publication jointly developed by REHDA Institute and CLJ Law, witnessed by YB Nga Kor Ming. The book provides comparative legal, policy and management insights on strata and leasehold systems across Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Australia and the United Kingdom.
Contributing to the discourse, Tan Sri Eddy Chen Lok Loi, Trustee of REHDA Institute and Group Managing Director of MKH Berhad, presented on the evolution of Malaysia’s housing delivery system. “The journey of Malaysia’s housing is ultimately a story of collaboration between all industry stakeholders that turns plans into homes,” said Tan Sri Eddy Chen. “We must move toward sustainable financial models because, ultimately, housing is not just planned it is delivered.”
𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐚-𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐔𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 (𝐌𝐂𝐔𝐏)
The tour’s formal conclusion at Darwin College, University of Cambridge, on 25 March marked the beginning of a new chapter in global urban governance with the mooting of the Malaysia-Cambridge Urban Platform (MCUP). Conceptualised during strategic discussions involving YB Nga Kor Ming, REHDA Institute, and academic leaders and professors from the University of Cambridge, Anglia Ruskin University and University College London (UCL), the MCUP, proposed by YB Nga Kor Ming, is envisioned as a premier knowledge exchange platform focused on sustainability and future-ready city-making.
The MCUP is designed to institutionalise the strategic ties forged during the mission through three core pillars: executive education, strategic events and conferences, and collaborative research and publications. Together, these pillars will build a long-term ecosystem for high-level knowledge exchange, supporting Malaysia’s efforts in housing, spatial and transport planning, infrastructure delivery, environmental sustainability and the green transition, social inclusion, governance reform, economic competitiveness and holistic urban innovation.
“This mission has demonstrated REHDA Institute’s strategic role as a think-tank bridge between Malaysian industry stakeholders, policymakers and world-class academic institutions,” said REHDA Institute. “The Institute hopes to play a role in the Malaysia-Cambridge Urban Platform to equip all stakeholders with the strategic tools necessary to propel Malaysia’s urban landscape to its next pinnacle. Through the learnings from the visionary scale of Brabazon and the intellectual leadership of partners such as Cambridge, Anglia Ruskin and UCL, we are redefining the global standards for the cities of tomorrow.
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𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐑𝐄𝐇𝐃𝐀 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐞
REHDA Institute is a strategic think tank functioning as a social enterprise, focusing on training, research and education for the real estate industry. The Institute acts as a bridge between authorities, industry and academia. It is committed to driving thought leadership, championing professional development, and facilitating crucial dialogue among industry stakeholders to foster sustainable growth, innovation and excellence within the real estate sector.
Through its training, research and education programmes, REHDA Institute serves and engages stakeholders across the housing and real estate supply chain, both upstream and downstream, including property developers, contractors, property managers, consultants, regulators and academia.
𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝𝐈𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐭 “𝐑𝐄𝐇𝐃𝐀 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐞 (𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥)” 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐰𝐰.𝐫𝐞𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐞.𝐜𝐨𝐦.
REHDA Institute works in collaboration with universities and other institutions in many of its activities (including Universiti Malaya, Monash University Malaysia and Sunway University) and has jointly offered a Master of Real Estate Development (MRED) programme with Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) since 2020.
