Kampung Baru City Centre beckons

KUALA LUMPUR: The redevelopment of Kampung Baru will bring a host of benefits for the community, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Najib said that the Government is committed in ensuring that Kampung Baru is developed into a modern area, complete with a new infrastructure and a central business area.

"The redevelopment of this area has always been a dream, and a way forward is to focus the redevelopment to a core area," he said, adding that the centre of Kampung Baru has been dubbed as the Kampung Baru City Centre (KBCC).

He said that the centre would be turned into an area filled with offices, hotels, and promenades for the public.

Najib added that being so close to the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) area, the Kampung Baru community and its visitors will be provided with easy access to KLCC and other areas around here.

This is via a planned pedestrian walkway from KLCC to KBCC and a proposed MRT station apart from the existing LRT station.

He said that the redevelopment of Kampung Baru will provide Malays with an area in town that be used to showcase the Malay culture to both tourists and locals.

"KBCC will feature a Malay craft and arts centre that will be the biggest one in Kuala Lumpur," he said.

He added that with its redevelopment, the Malay community would have an area synonymous to them, akin to Petaling Street for the Chinese and Brickfields to the Indians.

"When they talk about Malays in the city, I don't want Malays to be synonymous with being squatters (setinggan) or being poor (marhain).

"I want Malays in Kampung Baru to be seen as a modern community with a respectable economic and social standing," he said, adding that he does not want the community to be left out from the progress the country is making.

Najib was speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony for UDA Holdings Berhad's housing project - Legasi Kampung Bharu - here on Sunday.

The project will see 2.858 acres of land in Kampung Baru turned into mixed development of 639 housing units, 48 business units, and a 30-storey tower housing amenities such as a library, gymnasium, and childcare centre.

Also present at the groundbreaking ceremony were Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, Deputy Finance Minister and Titiwangsa MP Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani, UDA Holdings Berhad group managing director Datuk Ahmad Abu Bakar, and Kampung Baru Development Corporation (PKB) chairman Datuk Affendi Zahari.