The Federal Territories Ministry should act quickly to stop real estate developers from taking advantage of the timeframe before the Kuala Lumpur Draft Plan 2020 is officially gazetted later this year, reported Free Malaysia Today.
Setiawangsa MP Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said failing to prevent projects from being surreptitiously approved before the plan becomes available could lead to some home builders railroading their developments amidst oppositions by residents.
“There are several disputed developments across the city including in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Cheras, Taman Desa and Taman Tiara Titiwangsa which are still not resolved.”
“The danger is that developers, having invested substantial resources in these developments, may go ahead and seek approval from the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) despite objections from residents in these areas.”
He warned that without the published draft plan, property developers may obtain approval without going through proper produce like undergoing a public consultation.
If this happens, “DBKL’s planning department needs to be held to account” as this would violate the public’s right to be heard and might result in abuse of authority, he said.
In fact, Nik Nazmi revealed that he received information from residents in Setiawangsa that some property developers are marketing houses despite a lack of a Development Order (DO).
“In fact, one developer in Taman Tiara Titiwangsa has opened a grand showroom and is compiling details of prospective buyers, even going so far as to reassure them that they would ‘most likely’ secure approval in September.”
“On the surface, this means that developers will push to secure the DO despite the objections of residents in the area who are appealing against the development and, at worst, it could be seen as DBKL working with developers to secure approval before the plan is gazetted,” he claimed.
Previously, Federal Territories Minister Khalid Samad said last month that the Kuala Lumpur Draft Plan 2020 will be published on or before 31 December 2018. There is a delay in the publication as DBKL needs to update its information for 2016 until this year.
Image sourced from Time Out
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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