KUALA LUMPUR, April 18 — Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh took to Twitter today to announce the court victory by a group of residents in her constituency to protect one of the last green lungs in the capital city.

She described the Federal Court's decision in dismissing an appeal by the developer to reinstate the proposed Taman Rimba Kiara development project as a triumphant battle against those with deep pockets.

"Taman Rimba Kiara at Federal Court - We WON today for its preservation as a public park! A battle that has taken us more than 5 years.

“For me, this is also a battle against the might of those with deep pockets and we prevailed" she tweeted shortly after a three-judge panel at the Federal Court unanimously ruled in favour of the residents of Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI).

Earlier, the top court ruled in favour of the TTDI residents to quash a development order for a luxury service apartment project on a plot of land in the Taman Rimba Kiara recreational park here, putting an end to a protracted dispute that has lasted almost six years.

The Bench comprised Chief Judge of Malaya Datuk Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah and Federal Court judges Datuk Nallini Pathmanathan and Datuk Rhodzariah Bujang.

In their judicial review application filed in 2017, the residents sought to quash the development order for the proposed development project — consisting of a 29-storey apartment block with 350 units of affordable housing, as well as eight blocks of service apartments and eight storeys of parking facilities.

They claim that the 10.08-hectare Taman Rimba Kiara is a public park located in TTDI and Bukit Kiara area, and the proposed development would increase the density of TTDI and irreversibly degrade Taman Rimba Kiara as a green lung.

The residents initially lost their case in the High Court on November 28, 2018, but filed an appeal.

The Court of Appeal then ruled in favour of the residents on January 27, 2021. They are listed as the management bodies of Trellises Apartment, Kiara Green Townhouses, Residence Condominium, TTDI Plaza Condominium, The Greens Condominium, TTDI Residents Association and four TTDI residents and house owners.

But the Kuala Lumpur City Hall, together with the developer Memang Perkasa Sdn Bhd and land owner Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan appealed against the appellate court's decision to reinstate the development order for the project.