RESIDENTS in Brickfields are fed up with over-development in the area and said new projects are being approved without going through the proper procedures.
They claim more green lung and open areas are being lost to development and question how the community will benefit, especially as some of these projects are situated on government land.
The recent demolition of a 15-year-old abandoned building near the KL Monorail project office on Jalan Tebing, Brickfields has raised concerns that a new development project is in the offing.
The structure was part of the failed project called ‘Jalan-Jalan’ mooted in the late 1990s.
It was supposed to be a beautification project akin to Singapore’s Clarke Quay, and was meant to transform the Sungai Kelang riverbank area into a garden city.
Jalan-Jalan was supposed to incorporate fine-dining restaurants, a boutique hotel, bicycle tracks and activities like boat rides along the river. The project never took off.
Residents living nearby had noticed that the area had been boarded up recently and contractors were seen knocking down the dilapidated structures.
A Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) signboard stated that the demolition exercise was being carried out on land that belong to Prasarana Malaysia Bhd (formerly known as Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd).
What they found even more disturbing was a roadshow by Bina Puri Construction Sdn Bhd promoting an upcoming project called Rivo City @ Brickfields Kuala Lumpur.
The 1.86ha site is located near the Methodist College on Jalan Tebing, the KL Monorail project office and Kuen Cheng High School.
The public-private partnership (PPP) between Prasarana and Bina Puri is a mixed development consisting of four high-rise towers. These include 1,660 units of small office versatile office (SOVO) with three towers, 22-floor service suites, a three-storey commercial podium and sky bridge.
It is expected to be launched by January next year and completed by December 2017.
The three-storey commercial podium will incorporate a new monorail station, a retail centre, food outlets and roof garden.
Not again
Raj Applasamy, a resident of Palm Court Condo, nearby expressed concern that projects were being approved without obtaining feedback from residents.
“I have been living here for the past 30 years and can see the massive development Brickfields has undergone in the past decade,’’ he said.
The 60-year-old, who is the condo’s residents association secretary, questioned the legality of the project as it had not gone through the normal objection process.
“We have not been consulted, yet the developers are openly promoting the project,’’ said Brickfields RT chairman S.K.K. Naidu.
Brickfields, he pointed out, was being overdeveloped and the traffic situation was a mess.
For years, residents and the business community have had to put up with daily congestion with heavy traffic choking the inner roads.
Hence, it was not surprising they were upset whenever a new project was mooted in the area.
“Transport experts say Brickfields is located in a landlocked area and creative solutions are needed to resolve its congestion woes,’’ said Naidu.
The township is sandwiched between the river and a railway track and a solution to its traffic problems seems elusive, he added.
“It does not help that (City Hall) keeps approving new projects,’’ Naidu said.
Enough is enough
In the past five years alone, the local authority had approved dozens of new projects in the area. More and more buildings had come up with higher density and plot ratios burdening the urban infrastructure and increasing commuting time.
“It is taking longer and longer to go to work and school if you live here,’’ lamented resident Annie Samuel.
“A five-minute journey now takes up to two hours and the quality of our life has been affected,’’ she added.
“More development means more vehicles,’’ said Lim Swee Kim, a long-time resident of Crescent Court.
“The number of cars, buses and lorries coming in and out of the place has been increasing every year,’’ he added.
Samuel pointed out that Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad, an inner road, had now become the main road.
“It’s congested day and night ever since it was made one-way,’’ she said.
She added it was almost impossible to find parking in Brickfields.
“City Hall should not approve new developments and instead create more green space like parks and gardens,’’ added Naidu.
“We have lost six football fields and another one will go as the Lorong Chan Ah Tong field has been sold for development too,’’ he said.
“Our police station too was taken away a few years ago for another project. It is time to give something back to the community instead of selling land for profit,’’ Naidu added.
River rejuvenation
Meanwhile, a Prasarana spokesman said in an email that the old structures near the riverbank had been a blot on the landscape of Jalan Syed Putra for years.
“Bina Puri began to demolish them recently upon receiving approval from DBKL in February. The demolition is part of preparatory work for the proposed new development.
“Bina Puri is in the process of submitting the application for the Development Order to DBKL to redevelop the abandoned site.
“Based on the Development Order approval process, obtaining public feedback comes under the purview of the local authorities,’’ said the spokesman.
He added that the traffic assessment plan would be prepared and submitted in due course.
“We would take the necessary steps to mitigate traffic concerns and challenges for the benefits of all parties.”
On how the local community would benefit from the project as it is on government land, the spokesman said, “The proposed Rivo City Project is expected to benefit various parties.
“As the previous development plans’ approvals have lapsed, Prasarana intends to redevelop the area with a totally new plan that will be in tandem with current trends through the joint development with Bina Puri,” he explained.
The area was previously slated to be developed by the former concessionaire of the KL monorail project.
When the former concessionaire came under receivership in 2007, Prasarana acquired all its assets, including the KL monorail concession and the area located between the new RapidKL monorail depot and the Tun Sambanthan monorail station, near Jalan Tebing.
Prasarana awarded the redevelopment of the area to Bina Puri in July 2013.
Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Ahmad Phesal Talib said the project would be good for Brickfields.
“It would transform the area facing the riverbank for the better.
“We are cleaning up the entire stretch for the River of Life project,’’ he added.
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