An aerial view of the proposed public park in Taman Melawati Ampang. A convention centre will now be built on the site, causing residents to voice their dismay.
THE hopes of residents of Taman Melawati, Ampang for a public park right in their midst have been dashed as the proposed site will now house a convention centre instead.
The unhappy residents said they would be protesting against this move.
The proposed 1.36ha park, labelled Central Park Melawati, was supposed to be part of a redevelopment plan for the area which included several high-rise residential projects.
However, it will now be replaced by the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) Convention Centre, a facility that would be able to accommodate 1,000 people.
The site currently houses the service centre of Selangor Mentri Besar and Gombak MP Datuk Seri Azmin Ali.
Taman Melawati Residents’ Association (TMRA) Zone ABC chairman Razman Hakimi Abdullah said they learned about the u-turn several months ago.
“Instead of being centrally located, the proposed park has been moved to behind Jalan C1.
“We heard that MPAJ had opened a tender for the project in May and it would take two years to complete," he said.
According to Razman, having a convention centre there would add to the traffic congestion in the area.
“Lorong Selangor and Jalan Bandar 12 are narrow and is already choked with traffic. Imagine the situation once the centre is built and events are held there,” he said.
He added that the natural beauty of the area was being compromised by another concrete structure.
To voice their objection, an online petition was set up by the residents.
Several residents and members of the public voiced their dismay over the project.
Azah Ismail pointed out that were already halls nearby and there was no need for a big-capacity convention centre in the area.
Adnan Abdullah said there was a need to preserve as much green areas in an increasingly developed area.
As of 3pm today, 2,400 people had signed the petition. The residents will be having a press conference on the issue tomorrow.
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