A PROPOSED condominium project near Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI), Kuala Lumpur, has raised concerns among TTDI residents and a non-governmental organisation about its risk of damaging the ecosystem in the nearby Bukit Kiara Federal Park.
The project, proposed to be built on a 3.42ha land within the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club Resort (KLGCC), will see two low-density condominium towers with 31 storeys (140 units) and 32 storeys (148 units) respectively, along with a five-storey carpark podium.
It is expected to begin in the first quarter of next year and be completed in the fourth quarter of 2029.
Friends of Bukit Kiara (FoBK) president Leon Koay told StarMetro that the project site is located right next to the park and the developer has proposed to establish a 50m buffer zone between the condominium and the park - a distance he deemed as too short.
“The buffer zone needs to be at least 300m to 500m to protect the park’s ecosystem.
“The park is a rare biodiversity hotspot that is located in the capital city and near the city centre. It is also the home to at least nine species of fireflies.
“It is therefore our responsibility to preserve the park’s ecosystem. Condominiums can be built anywhere but we couldn’t recreate the firefly colonies elsewhere,” he said when met after a public feedback session on the project’s environmental impact assessment on Dec 20.
It was previously reported that some 111ha of the 162ha park was officially gazetted in 2020 as the first federal park in Malaysia. The remaining 51ha is still under lease to a private entity until 2027.
Meanwhile, TTDI Residents’ Association exco Khairudin Rahim (pic, above) said roads in TTDI, particularly Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad, which is the main access road to the residential area, will be further choked up after the project is completed.
“Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad’s service level now is already class F, even before the condominium’s construction begins.
“We are concerned that the influx of residents after the condominium is built will bring more cars into TTDI, further worsening the traffic congestion during peak hours,” he said.
He also said there is no more space for Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad to be widened, making it difficult to mitigate the additional traffic that could potentially be brought by the condominium.
Khairudin also said the 50 people who turned up at the public feedback session unanimously objected to the proposed condominium project.
FoBK has also conducted a survey, which has garnered 1,107 replies so far and 98% of them do not support the project, according to a post on its social media pages.
