KOTA KINABALU: Residents of Austral Park in Luyang near here have voiced out concerns over a sudden development project nearby, calling it a disruption to their mental health and emotional wellbeing.
They said the project was being carried out in a piece of land that was earmarked for a recreational and health activity area when they purchased their respective homes decades ago.
Now, instead of having a place to relax and carry out healthy activities, they are forced to deal with issues, including the possible worsening of traffic congestion
“We are not sure what exactly this project is but were told that it would be a mix development - commercial and residential,” said a resident who did not want to be identified.
He said they did not know that works would be carried out there until machinery was brought in to clear the land as there was no notice or signboards informing residents.
A woman resident said the project would cause congestion, worse than it is now when completed, and it will take a toll on their mental health and cause stress to the elderly and sick because of all the construction noise and potentially increased population.
“We are also worried that there will be entry routes constructed into our residential area and we don’t want that. If they want, they can construct or find another way into the project site,” said another.
These are some of the matters raised during a dialogue session with Luyang assemblyman Phoong Jin Zhe on Thursday (March 23) afternoon.
During the session, Phoong told the residents that he does not have details of the project and would have to get the information from local authorities including the City Hall before commenting.
He is unsure how to help for now because he does not have the full details but he assured residents that their concerns would be brought to the attention of local authorities.
“We will try to get City Hall officials to get in touch with residents and see how this can work to benefit both parties,” he said.
The piece of land which this project began on does not belong to residents.
