GREEN LUNG HAVOC AND SIR, AFTER FEDERAL HILL, DOES BANGSAR GO TOO?
THE only remaining green lung in Bangsar is slotted for development.
But not if the residents of Jalan Medang Serai, Bukit Bandaraya, have
any say in it.
The Malay Mail
Residents are up in arms against a proposed high-rise luxury
condominium project by Bandar Raya Developments Berhad.
The developer has announced it will be putting up eight blocks of 212
luxury condominium units and multi-level car park.
Of the eight blocks, two blocks will be 28-storeys high and the rest
11 and six storeys.
A City Hall notice on the project had stated that the project would
increase the density in the area from 30 people per acre to 175 people
per acre —an increase of 500 per cent.
This has caused residents in the Medang Serai area, including those
living in townhouses, Tivoli Villa and Bangsar Puteri, to see red as
they claimed that the proposed development would not only destroy
their only patch of green lung but also cause massive congestion in an
already congested area.
“The dust and noise will be a health hazard to the residents and there
is no logic in increasing the density by 500 per cent,” said Medang
Serai Residents Action Committee pro-tem president Tunku Zurie Tunku
Izham.
She said residents were also shocked that the project was being
promoted and advertised in a newsletter and on its website although
City Hall claimed that it had not issued any development order.
“It smacks of arrogance on the developer’s part to promote the project
when no approval has been granted,” said another resident, who had
been living in the area for more than 20 years.
However, Gunasegaran Naidu, deputy-director of Monitoring and
Enforcement (National Housing Development) in an e-mail to a resident
representative, who had lodged a complaint with the Housing and Local
Government Ministry, said the brochure did not advertise any sale.
“It was an announcement that BRDB will be launching a con- dominium
project in the area.
Neither was it an exercise to register prospective buyers,” s a id Na idu .
The residents had also organised a signature campaign and sent a
petition to, among others, the mayor, the director-general of City
Hall, the Lembah Pantai member of parliament and the Federal
Territories Minister.
Residents had also put forward their concerns at a hearing called by
City Hall but to date, the anxious residents have not been told of the
outcome.
“We urge the authorities not to approve the project. A massive
high-rise project such as the one being proposed is not suitable as
the Medang Serai area is made up of mostly low-rise houses and
apartments.
“With the current flash floods that we have been experiencing in Kuala
Lumpur, we should not be cutting down more trees,” said Tunku Zurie.
Environmental experts have also pointed out that sacrificing forests
for high-rise buildings negate efforts to promote tree planting in
cities.
Many have pointed out that it is a paradox for City Hall to spend
millions on tree planting while at the same time, projects were be-
ing approved which destroyed the greenery.
Late last year, Datuk Bandar Datuk Ab Hakim Borhan had stated that
City Hall was spending an additional RM5 million on tree planting in
the city.
Another RM94 million has been allocated in this year’s budget for the
building of recreational parks and green a re a s.
In 1980, City Hall had admitted that there was only 0.2ha of green
open space available per 1,000 persons —which, even at that time, was
considered insufficient.
“If so, why does City Hall con- tinue to approve projects at the
expense of the remaining urban forests?” asked a resident, who said
that the pressure from urban living requires the community to seek
relief and the urban forests are a fine example of providing a
soothing atmosphere.
