Kept in the dark about redevelopment plans

The abandoned buildings at the Jalan Kuching PKNS flats which were formerly occupied by army personnel.

Owners of shoplots at the Jalan Kuching Selangor State Develop-ment Corporation (PKNS) Public Housing in Kuala Lumpur are unhappy about being left out of a meeting on the flats’ redevelopment.

They claimed that they were not invited to a meeting between residents and the developer early this month but heard from neighbours about the plans.

Goh Toh Hoo, who owns an electrical shop, said he did not receive any notice on the redevelopment.

“It was shocking for us to hear about the plans and were told to get the compensation plan from the flat’s management.

“We are upset because we own the shoplots here,” he said at a press conference held at the site.

Goh said the shopowners want a meeting with the developer to discuss the compensation package because they were included in the earlier gathering.

“We wanted to raise some concerns,” he added.

The PKNS flats were built in 1973 and 10 blocks were bought by the Defence Ministry in 1975 for its staff who subsequently moved out in 2007.

These 10 blocks have been empty since then.

A proposal to redevelop the flats into army quarters has been pitched and this will affect 222 housing units and shoplots.

The redevelopment project will include units for army personnel, public housing units and shoplots as well as mixed commercial lots.

The compensation package offers three options for owners.

Goh learned about the flats’ redevelopment project from his neighbours.

Owners of flats units or shops can choose to get a one-off cash incentive of between RM100,000 and RM165,000, depending on the size of their property.

Unit owners who pick option two will be temporarily relocated to Residensi Sungai Udang and receive rental incentives.

Those who wish to move elsewhere can pick option three and benefit from rental incentives during the three-year construction period.

Those who go for option two and three will also get a residential unit or shoplot when the project is completed.

Goh said while he accepted the one-to-one unit compensation, he was unhappy with the rental incentive given during the construction period.

“For a shoplot measuring 50sq m, we are only compensated RM1,350 during the project’s construction.

“This is not enough for us to rent a shop in Kuala Lumpur,” he said.

Kepong Community Service Centre head Yee Poh Ping urged residents and shopowners who were unsure about the compensation package to come forward.

“We will collect the unit owners’ details and schedule a meeting with the developer for an amicable solution.

“Unit owners should be told of the redevelopment plans and compensation packages clearly before redevelopment is carried out,” he said.

Resident C. Raja Gopal, 72, said he looked forward to the area being redeveloped.

“So far, three private developers have tried to redevelop the flats but nothing much has been done until now,” he said.

The developer could not be reached for comments at press time.