Kuala Lumpur needs proper city plan

Selamatkan KL says an approved city plan will provide transparency in building approvals. — filepic

FEDERAL Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor has pledged to make Kuala Lumpur a more conducive city for its residents, in response to residents group Selamatkan Kuala Lumpur’s (SKL) decision to take Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to court if the local authority refuses to gazette the Draft KL City Plan 2020.

The Federal Territories Act 1982 clearly spells out the need for building approvals to be based on an approved Local Plan.

As such, all buildings that have been approved now are technically “illegal” as the approvals were not based on an approved Local Plan.

The Draft KL City Plan 2020 has been in existence since 2013 and it is the responsibility of the Federal Territories Ministry to approve and gazette it.

Tengku Adnan said the Draft KL City Plan 2020 was outdated as it was prepared in 2008 and had since been overtaken by events, but no plan is ever perfect.

Demographic changes will render certain elements of any plan irrelevant or inadequate. However, such changes can only be ascertained and measured when there is a plan to benchmark against.

An approved plan will provide transparency in DBKL’s building approvals.

Communities will know what to expect in terms of development.

In all, the existence of an approved plan – regardless of its flaws – makes development decisions accountable, more efficient and effective.

The Kuala Lumpur mayor earlier said that discussions would be held on drafting a new plan, the KL Structure Plan 2050 which is a prelude to a Local Plan.

The process to draft the KL City Plan 2020 began in 2008 with a target of gazetting it in 2012. Four years and purportedly RM30mil were spent in the process.

If the actions and events of the past are any indication, when will the KL City Plan 2050 materialise?

Development is without doubt necessary to stimulate economic growth and progress, but sustainable development is essential in maintaining a balance between social and economic growth.

An oversupply situation will bring economic hardship when borrowers default on their mortgages, which in turn creates social issues at the micro level — families suffering financial difficulties.

Property owners will also be forced to accept low lease rentals to help cover their mortgage payments. This, in turn, will diminish property values and create “modern slums.”

Malaysia will be celebrating its 61st year of independence in 2018 with Kuala Lumpur as the country’s capital and home to world-famous landmarks such as the Petronas Twin Towers and KL Tower.

For Malaysia to be called a developed nation and Kuala Lumpur a world-class city, it must have a Local Plan that uses international city planning as its framework.

Only then can we truly claim to be working towards building a world-class city rated among the best.

SKL supports Tengku Adnan’s pledge for a more conducive Kuala Lumpur but in the absence of a Local Plan, this is merely a slogan without substance.

Kuala Lumpur residents demand that the Federal Territories Ministry and DBKL gazette the Draft Kuala Lumpur City Plan 2020 before the damage caused by the absence of an approved plan becomes irreversible.

TAN SRI ABDUL AZIZ BIN ABDUL RAHMAN

Chairman

Selamatkan Kuala Lumpur

 

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