A promised 18-month temporary closure of a popular forest recreation area in Ampang, Selangor, has stretched into nearly a decade of frustration for local residents waiting to return to their favourite green retreat.
Taman Rimba Ampang, or Bukit Belacan as it is popularly known among locals, has been closed to the public since 2017 to facilitate construction of East Klang Valley Expressway (EKVE).
When the closure was first announced, developer EKVE Sdn Bhd said the shutdown was expected to last 18 months.
Nearly 10 years on, the park remains firmly closed, with some of its facilities showing signs of deterioration from lack of maintenance.
The prolonged closure has raised questions over the park’s restoration and when it will once again be accessible to the public.
Waiting to return
Surrounded by the Ampang Forest Reserve, the park was once a popular destination for families and birdwatchers.
Jamali Kandar, who now lives in Bukit Saga, said Taman Rimba Ampang had been part of his life growing up in the area.
He said the forest park was a popular spot for residents, particularly during school holidays, when families and children would spend hours there.
“During school holidays especially, we would swim in the river and spend almost the whole day here.
“I even remember during the drought in 1997, we would come to the river to bathe and wash our clothes,” he said when met at a restaurant near the forest park.
Jamali said the park had long served as a recreational space for surrounding communities and hoped it would once again be accessible to the public.
“It would be good to have the park back.
“Hopefully, it can be reopened soon with upgraded facilities and chalets, and residents can enjoy it again,” the 70-year-old said.
Lembah Jaya Selatan resident Rosazlina Hanafi, 45, said Taman Rimba Ampang was a convenient place for families in the surrounding neighbourhoods to spend time together without having to travel far.
“It was convenient because it was close to home.
“We did not have to plan a whole trip just to give the children some outdoor time.”
She said some of the facilities were already showing signs of wear even before the park was closed.
“Hopefully, once it is reopened, the facilities will be properly restored and maintained so families can continue to enjoy the park,” she added.
Lembah Jaya assemblyman Syed Ahmad Syed Abdul Rahman Alhadad said the local community was eager to regain access to the forest park, describing it as a vital “third space” for residents.
“Like it or not, we have to wait.
“I know some people do not want to wait and go there anyway, but it is not a safe place as it is still a construction site,” he said.
Syed Ahmad added that the reopening of Taman Rimba Ampang would depend on completion of the EKVE, which was expected by year end.
He said the park would then require further time for its facilities to be restored.
“The first point of pressure would be to finish EKVE construction.
“That has already been delayed for more than five years,” he said.
Based on a site visit last year, Syed Ahmad said, the condition of the forest park reflected years of being closed and ongoing construction activities.
On its eventual upgrading, he said the community wanted the forest park restored to how it was before construction.
“The community wants the park to be as before.
“That is what they are waiting for, and they are waiting eagerly,” he said.
Protected reserve
Taman Rimba Ampang is located in the Ampang Forest Reserve and is a lowland dipterocarp forest.
The forest reserve forms part of the Selangor State Park, gazetted in 2005, and is classified as a Rank 1 Environmentally Sensitive Area under the National Physical Plan.
It is also a water catchment area with the Ampang Water Intake Compound located at the end of a 1km stretch into the park.
Plans to close Taman Rimba Ampang for the EKVE date back to 2016, when the park was scheduled to be closed from Jan 5 that year until May 5, 2019.
However, the closure was challenged in court by three non-governmental organisations – Malaysian Nature Society (MNS), Treat Every Environment Special (TrEES) and Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam Malaysia (Peka) – who argued that the EKVE works and related logging could cause irreversible damage to the environment and scenic landscape.
In May 2016, the three groups obtained an interim stay suspending the project pending further proceedings.
They sought to quash Selangor Forestry Department’s (JPNS) decision to close the park, arguing that the area was environmentally sensitive and formed the main public access to the Ampang Forest Reserve.
The stay was later withdrawn, allowing EKVE construction to proceed.
In November 2017, EKVE announced that Taman Rimba Ampang would be closed for 18 months to facilitate construction of two bridges along the fringes of the park.
The developer said the closure was necessary for safety reasons due to heavy machinery operating in the vicinity.
It also said it had proposed to upgrade and restore the park as part of its corporate social responsibility efforts, with the works to be carried out alongside construction.
Still no firm date
EKVE Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Ahmad Zaki Resources Bhd (AZRB), said the closure of Taman Rimba Ampang was closely tied to the overall completion of the EKVE construction works, as the park is located between Sections 1 and 2.
“While Section 1 of the EKVE is complete, our current focus at the moment remains on completing Section 2, which we anticipate will be by the end of the fourth quarter of 2026,” AZRB said in a statement to StarMetro.
Meanwhile, JPNS director Azhar Ahmad said Taman Rimba Ampang’s reopening was subject to completion of the EKVE project and subsequent upgrading works at the park.
Azhar said he was satisfied with the developer’s proposed plans to restore the park.
“They have presented the development plans to JPNS, which we have discussed and given feedback,” he told StarMetro, although he could not give a timeline for the works.
Azhar said the proposed upgrading would focus mainly on landscaping and softscape works, with limited infrastructure to preserve the character of the recreational area.
Among the facilities proposed are a public toilet and surau, as well as areas for recreation and camping.
