The residents community association KLRA+SD has raised concern over the land sale in Taman Desa for a high density housing project which it says need to be fully studied through before embarking on such a big scale project.
It noted that the development approvals of hig h-rise hig h-density projects in the area that is already densely populated like Tarnan Desa will lead to further deterioration of living environment in that area. KLRA+SD singled out DBKL for the lack of transparency and accountability to its stakeholders on planning matters recently regarding a proposed development in Taman Desa.
Citing that KL residents, especially residents of Tarnan Desa, only got to know (on 3rd July 2024) of the sale of land by DBKL and the proposed development’s existence through news articles published, as media friends picked up from the company announcement made to the local bourse, the company here is refered to Mah Sing.
The “Kaedah 7 Notice” was published by DBKL in major newspapers on 7’h July 2024, with a deadline to submit views set on 2O’h July 2024. An email invitation was sent out by DBKL on 29’h July 2024 to attend an engagement session on Friday of that same week (2nd August 2024) held at Dewan Megapuri, Menara DBKL 1. There was no further communication from the City Hall after 2n^ August 2024. The next piece of information that residents of Taman Desa found out was an email invitation sent out to media friends on 17’h August 2024, on the launch of the proposed development. The time from the Kaedah 7 Engagement Session to the date the invitation was sent out for the launch of the proposed development was only 10 working days apart.
The association is asking questions on whether the suggestions made by residents through letters sent and at the Kaedah 7 Engagement Session deliberated by the City Hall? When was the One Stop Centre (OSC) meeting held to approve the proposed development? When was the developer notified of the approval?
At the Kaedah 7 Engagement Session held on 2 August 2024, the residents were presented with the plan for the proposed development including the Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) findings and the mitigation measures for the expected influx of cars from the proposed development.
According to the association the residents were apprently disappointed with the session that did not define the full defintion of a discussion but rather one worded replies by DBKL of “Noted”,”Okay” or silence from the chair of the session. The muted response and what appeared more like a ‘one-way conversation’ at the engagement session gave an impression that a written response will be given to residents after the City Hall’s internal deliberations, but no response was g iven in the end.
In response, KLRA+SD said it sent in a four-page letter raisig three main issues that it hoped City Hall will address first before considering approving any future housing projects in Tarnan Desa. Among them Traffic & Drainage System, Lack of Public Facilities and Lack of Public Transportation Coverage.
Despite the precedent set in the Taman Rimba Kiara case, where the Court of Appeal judgement stated that “Datuk Bandar has a duty to give reasons for its decisions to objectors, notwithstanding the absence of a statutory provision requiring it to do so”.
