Selangor’s Chief Minister Dato’ Seri Mohamed Azmin bin Ali has intervened on the proposed redevelopment of the 0.4ha land previously occupied by the A&W restaurant along Lorong Sultan in Petaling Jaya.
“We do not know what will happen to this development yet as we are still awaiting instructions from Selangor’s Chief Minister, who has been briefed on the issue,” said Billy Wong, a councillor in the Petaling Jaya Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ).
Previously, Petaling Jaya Mayor Datuk Mohd Azizi Mohd Zain approved a contentious plot ratio of 1.8 for the proposed project during a One-Stop Centre (OSC) committee meeting in January. In particular, a developer plans to build a 20-storey office tower on the site.
However, many councillors contend that the Mayor did not give them an opportunity to discuss or debate the plot ratio during a full board meeting last month. The entire council did not even vote on the said matter.
For instance, they alleged that the Mayor turned off the microphones of some councillors. Aside from ordering security to expel two councillors out of the room, he also asked reporters to delete their recordings of the meeting and vacate the session hall.
To show their objection for railroading the approval of the 1.8 plot ratio, another eight councillors walked out of the room. Thereafter, assemblymen Yeo Bee Yin, R. Rajiv and Lau Weng San submitted a formal complaint regarding what transpired during the meeting to the office of Selangor’s Chief Minister.
“The Chief Minister then wrote to the Mayor and asked for a full report of the meeting. We are waiting for the next course of action,” noted Wong, who is also part of the OSC Committee.
“The Mayor informed us that he will fully abide by any directive given by the state on this matter,” said MBPJ Councillor and OSC Committee member Derek Fernandez. He said he did not witness what happened during the heated meeting as he was elsewhere.
Currently, MBPJ has yet to issue planning permits to the developer of the A&W site. The council added that approval will not be given, pending the decision of the state government.
Image sourced from SAYS Malaysia
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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