Postpone recent changes to DBKL by-law, Teresa says

Seputeh MP Teresa Kok urged Kuala Lumpur City Hall to postpone the newly gazetted rule made to the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur Planning Rules 2025, which took place on June 13 and came into force three days later.

“Though this new authority can be used positively, without checks and balances from the public, as required by the law, it could open avenues for the mayor to be pressured by external parties.

“It will also limit the public’s access to proposed development plans, and they would not be able to give their views or raise objections before planning approval is given.

“And this will affect transparency, accountability and inclusivity in developing Kuala Lumpur,” she said in a statement today.

Elaborating, Kok mentioned that under the Planning (Development) Rules 1970, clauses 5 and 7 state that the public must be notified of a development plan within 14 days - which includes making it known using newspapers, exhibition plans and the right for the public to raise objections, among others.

However, the DAP leader said the newly gazetted rule removed clauses 5 and 7 and merged them into clause 3.

This change allows the mayor to negotiate with any relevant authority, agency, group or stakeholders on a development application only if he or she deems it necessary.

“This is a massive departure from the earlier nature of development planning – from being an inclusive measure to relying solely on the mayor’s discretion,” Kok said.

Two days ago, Free Malaysia Today reported DBKL as saying that while formal objections to the Kuala Lumpur Local Plan 2040 no longer apply following the new rule, it remains committed to best planning practices through the implementation of Rule 3 of the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur Planning Rules 2025, which mandates stakeholder consultations.

DBKL explained that such consultation is required for specific types of proposed developments, such as high-density projects or temporary developments, which require public feedback before approval is granted.

“Additionally, every approved development project in Kuala Lumpur is required to implement a communication strategy covering the pre-construction, construction, and post-construction phases,” DBKL was reported as saying.

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