Residents of Desa Putra Condominium at Jalan Wangsa Perdana 3 in Wangsa Maju are outraged over the Planning Department’s lack of transparency regarding a proposed 46-storey commercial tower that will be constructed close to their home, reported The Edge.
This is after Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) Planning Department Director Nurazizi Mokhtar said there is no need to provide residents with the requested documents.
Mokhtar’s action is “blatant failure of transparency, a sign of non-engagement and disregard for due process and arrogant indifference to the needs of tax-paying Kuala Lumpur residents,” said Desa Putra Condo’s Management Committee Chairman Abu Bakar Ariffin.
In September, Desa Putra’s Resident Association (RA) asked DBKL officials to provide copies of the project’s Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA), Social Impact Assessment (SIA) and Development Impact Assessment (DIA), so that the residents can determine the impact of the project.
“We need to understand the impact of the proposed development so that we can raise a fact-based and objective objection during our public hearing. How does Nurazizi expect us to object on a case where we are denied full information? What use is the hearing then – it will be nothing but a farce,” he explained.
Abu Bakar also blasted Nurazizi’s claim that the residents should have expected the 46-storey tower, as the developer of Desa Putra Condo and the other building are one and the same. It’s also possible that the developer had shown the residents the future building plans.
“We find his statement highly illogical as we doubt even the developer themselves, who bought the land more than a decade ago, knew what they were going to do with that land back when they bought it.”
“His statement also shows that DBKL has a blatant disregard for the changes in an area’s density and does not take into consideration current conditions in approving any development proposal. The population density which is already high coupled with traffic congestion and illegal parking issues at and around Desa Putra Condo is being ignored in totality,” noted Abu Bakar.
Previously, residents of condominium have been alarmed by the construction of another high-rise and high density project right next to their home.
Built in 2006, the leasehold Desa Putra Condo opposite the Sri Rampai LRT station. consists of three 18 and 19-storey blocks with a total of 436 residential units.
While there are several existing high-density projects in the vicinity – like the 48-storey Wangsa 9 Residency with 565 units and The Hamilton Wangsa Maju, a 42-storey development with 435 units – DBKL still put up a notice board in mid-August informing residents that a neighbouring project will be built consisting of an 8-storey carpark and a 46-storey block containing 382 serviced apartments.
According to Abu Bakar, Nurazizi’s action of not providing the residents with the requested document is an insult to Setiawangsa MP Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, who had also asked DBKL to release the reports.
“Is it not enough to insult us? Does our elected representative have to be insulted by you as well? Nurazizi is also side-stepping the issue of the change in land use from residential to commercial. On what basis should the land change be approved and what is the impact to residents with this change?”
“We stand by and applaud the statement made by Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad made on 19 August that DBKL must release assessment reports to ensure transparency in development approvals. And we are against servants of the public treating the public as if we have no rights.”
Image sourced from Edge Property
This article was edited by the editorial team of PropertyGuru. To contact them about this or other stories email editorialteam@propertyguru.com.my
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