KUALA Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) will review development density in highly populated and rapidly developing areas of the capital.
It plans to use the findings to amend the Kuala Lumpur Local Plan 2040 to improve development controls in the city if necessary.
DBKL executive director (Planning) Rosli Nordin said the local authority was expected to appoint consultants later this month to conduct studies in Mont Kiara, Sri Hartamas, Damansara, Pantai, Setiawangsa and Bukit Jalil, among others.
“The studies will take six months to complete and the findings will be made available to the respective MPs.
“This is part of efforts of a special committee formed to review the development density in Kuala Lumpur,” he said during a town hall meeting in Bandar Tun Razak on a proposed high-rise residential project at Jalan Jalil Impian in Bukit Jalil.
The session was held following complaints from residents living near the proposed project site.
On Feb 24, StarMetro reported on residents’ concerns over worsening traffic congestion and growing pressure on existing infrastructure.
They had said that the Jalan Jalil Impian area was already saturated with high-rise developments such as Residensi Bintang, Residensi Aman, PPA1M Mercu Jalil and Ren Residence, each housing more than 1,200 units.
DBKL opened a public objection period from Jan 23 to Feb 6 for the project.
Rosli gave assurance that no approval has been granted for the project and that residents’ feedback would be considered.
Most complaints received centred on parking shortages, traffic congestion, inadequate drainage, rubbish collection and water supply.
A consultant hired by the developer, who was present at the town hall, said the proposed project would consist about 1,500 units on a 2.57ha site.
It would include about 200 Residensi Madani units along with more than 2,200 parking bays, in line with DBKL guidelines, he added.
Federal Territories Residents’ Representative Council Sub-Zone 4 Seputeh chairman Alex Ho warned that heavier traffic could hamper emergency response times.
He said feedback from the Fire and Rescue Department and police indicated roads in the area were difficult to navigate.
A nearby international school also raised concerns over students’ safety.
Its parents association head Anthony Ng said the school had about 2,400 students, and the area was severely congested during peak hours.
“We are not against the project, but students’ safety must come first,” he said, adding that traffic congestion could delay evacuations during emergencies.
Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, who was also present, urged DBKL to review the wider development plan for Bukit Jalil, stressing that residents had repeatedly complained about worsening congestion caused by overdevelopment.
