Several residents of Desa Putra Condominium, located in the Setiawangsa constituency, have demanded that KL City Hall (DBKL) provide them with sufficient information on a proposed 46-storey service apartment to be built in front of their homes.

They want to access to the Developmental Impact Assessment (DIA), Transport Impact Assessment (TIA) and the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) for the project, resident representative Ruzanna Mohamed told a press conference today.

“I think these reports are very important for us as existing residents to see the impact this proposed development will have (on us).

“We hope that DBKL can give us those reports and give us cooperation so we can at least have an indication as to when we need to come for the (public) hearing (for the project),” she said at the PKR Setiawangsa service centre.

Ruzanna, one of the coordinators of the protest against the development, added that residents had on Aug 27 submitted two letters to DBKL detailing their reasons for opposing the development. Along with the letters was a petition against the project which was signed by 229 residents.

They have yet to hear from DBKL despite multiple follow-up attempts.

Land use change

Residents also questioned how the plot of 1.9 acres (0.77ha) had been surreptitiously changed from a residential to commercial status allegedly without consultation with surrounding residents.

Commercial plots allow for a plot ratio up to 1:12. The proposed service apartment is expected to comprise 382 units.


“The developer told us that it would be a transit-oriented development as it will be 400 metres away from the Sri Rampai LRT station.

“But you need to look at the existing population density here and have an engagement session with existing residents first,” said Ruzanna, adding that traffic congestion was already a problem for residents.

Aside from the proposed service apartment project, two other condominiums, one of 48 storeys and another, 42 storeys, are being constructed in the same area.

Malaysiakini is contacting DBKL and the developer in question for comment.

‘Gazette the KL City Plan 2020’

Also at the press conference today was Setiawangsa MP Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, who similarly urged DBKL to comply with the residents’ request for transparency.

He further questioned if the land use change was in line with the Kuala Lumpur Draft City Plan 2020. He implored Federal Territories Minister Khalid Samad to expedite the gazettement of the plan as this would push for more sustainable developments in the capital.

“I urge the Federal Territories Minister Khalid Samad to gazette the plan as soon as possible ... Fundamentally, a lot of problems that we have in KL today is because the local plan has not been gazetted.

“We want to make Kuala Lumpur liveable. We are no longer like 30 or 40 years ago where it is all about building tall buildings but (now) it is about having a nice, sustainable life.

“You talk about how is Melbourne nice, how London is nice. It is because they have liveable and sustainable developments there,” he said.

Khalid previously promised to gazette the plan by this year.

The draft plan was completed in 2008 and cost taxpayers RM30 million but was put on hold during former federal minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor’s tenure.