KUALA Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has imposed a 300m buffer zone on the proposed development opposite the Taman Persekutuan Bukit Kiara recreational park, following complaints from local communities in Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI).
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh said the decision was made after taking into account the potential impacts on nearby residents and local biodiversity.
“I am very aware of how important parks are, not just for those living in Bukit Kiara, but for everyone in Kuala Lumpur.
“Kuala Lumpur is a city, and its people need green spaces for recreational activities and to de-stress,” she said.
Yeoh spoke to the media after an event at the park on Saturday (May 2) by local non-profit Friends of Bukit Kiara (FoBK).
Also present were Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Fadlun Mak Ujud and FoBK president Leon Koay.
Yeoh added that no development order had been issued to the developer and that negotiations were still underway.
The announcement followed protests by TTDI residents against a proposed pair of 30-storey condominiums next to the park.
The project, to be built on a 3.42ha site, is undergoing an environmental impact assessment to obtain planning permission.
Residents expressed concerns that it would disrupt the park’s natural ecosystem and further strain local roads, specifically Changkat Abang Haji Openg, Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad and Jalan Datuk Sulaiman.
On April 12, they held a town hall session to launch a petition calling for the buffer to be increased to between 300m and 500m.
A previous guideline by the National Landscape Department (JLN), which manages the park, set the buffer at 50m.
Last August, FoBK filed a judicial review seeking a stay order on the City Hall from granting approvals to the planned project, among other demands.
Kuala Lumpur High Court granted leave in September.
