Residents fail to obtain stay order

The Taman Tun Dr. Ismail residents’ application for a stay order for a high-rise apartment project at Taman Rimba Kiara was dismissed by the High Court today.

A news portal reported that High Court Judge Kamaludin Md Said had dismissed the stay order stating the condominium project landowner Yayasan Persekutuan and developer Memang Perkasa Sdn Bhd had invested RM115 mil as one of the reasons for the decision. 

Save Taman Rimba Kiara Group coordinator Leon Koay said they will discuss the decision with the residents and will consider submitting an appeal.

“The judge ordered us to pay RM40,000 as costs which I think is quite high considering this lawsuit is of public interest and not a commercial dispute.

“It is not normal to have the costs to be set this high,” Koay said when contacted. 

“We believe this will cause a chilling effect on the civic action of the public for holding the local authority accountable for the decisions they take. 

“The case management is set for Jan 16 next year,” he added.

Residents had protested against the project which included eight blocks of between 42- and 54-storey high-end serviced apartments, with another 29-storey block comprising 350 units of affordable housing allocated to TTDI longhouse residents as well as the construction of a six-lane highway and a flyover.

TTDI residents had filed a judicial review application with the High Court to quash the conditional planning permission as well as a development order granted by Kuala Lumpur City Hall earlier this year.