A High Court in Kuala Lumpur has granted leave to 17 Bandar Tun Razak residents who made an application to quash Kuala Lumpur City Hall's (DBKL) approval of a housing project at a 40-year-old football field.

Residents' lawyer Zulhazmi Shariff said the court allowed leave (permission) after senior federal counsel Natra Idris who represented DBKL did not make an objection.

Justice Kamaludin Md Said fixed March 28 for hearing.

Zulhazmi (photo), however, said the court will hear the leave application for a stay of the housing project involving over 1,800 units affordable units and apartments units.

"While the senior federal counsel had no objection to the main application, she will object the stay application," he told Malaysiakini.

The applicants, who live in Kampung Konggo and the surrounding Bandar Tun Razak area, claimed that they will be severely affected by the project as their houses are located within 300m of the football field.

On Jan 15, they filed the judicial review application, seeking the court to quash the development order and planning approval issued by DBKL on May 12, 2017.

They were also seeking the court to grant a stay on the ongoing development pending the disposal of the judicial review.

The residents claimed they would be impacted by the high-density project with the increase of population per acre to 1,421 people from the existing 60.

The 2.1ha football field in question is located in Bandar Tun Razak and was sold by DBKL to developer Siner Juta Sdn Bhd for four apartment blocks to be built there.

Earlier, the residents objected to the project on the grounds that there were procedural problems in the land sale process. 

In June 2017, more than 60 residents stormed out of a briefing on the matter organised by DBKL after their questions and grouses were left unanswered. 

Besides Bandar Tun Razak, residents from Taman Tun Dr Ismail also took DBKL to court over high-density housing projects.