KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 — Anxiety is running high among Jalan Abdullah, in Bangsar, residents who have recently been told that a 62-storey condominium will be built behind their neighbourhood.
Although they are resigned to the fact that there is no stopping the mega project, they are requesting developers Setia Federal Hill (SFH) Sdn Bhd to position the tall building — and any future high-rises — in the centre of Lot 20015, a parcel of land within Bukit Persekutuan (formerly known as Federal Hill).
Earlier, these Jalan Abdullah residents (who are closest to the development) lost the fight against the rezoning of that land, following a land swap deal between the government and property developer SFH.
“We know that we can’t stop them from proceeding with the development, but all we are asking is for them to move the high-rise buildings to the middle of Lot 20015 which faces Jalan Bangsar instead of being right behind our homes,” resident T. Ksharmini told Malay Mail.
62 stories too high
This is the residents’ response to SFH’s recent “community engagement session” which only informed them of the height of the building, the location on Parcel 1A-B, Lot 20015 and its plot ratio of 1:8 despite the allowed plot ratio of 1:6 as stated in both the KLCP 2020 and draft Kuala Lumpur Local Plan 2040.
The name of the plan — KLCP — has been changed to Kuala Lumpur Local Plan in the 2040 draft.
“In the engagement session, they did not address existing home owners’ concerns over the structure of their houses which were built way back between the 1920s and 1940s,” Ksharmini said.
The SFH consists of land acquired from the government where the National Health Institute (NIH) or Insitut Kesihatan Umum Malaysia (IKUM) was formerly located — Lot 20015 — and Lot 481146 (formerly PT 9434 on Jalan Negeri Sembilan).
“This is in violation of the Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan 2020 (KLSP 2020) as government land used for commercial purposes is in contravention of Policy CF 3 which states that Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) shall ensure that all government land is only to be used for government or public facility purposes,” Ksharmini said.
Residents have in the past consistently objected to the change of land status from Institutional (plot ratio 1:2) to Mixed Development (plot ratio 1:6), but to no avail.
Blending with existing surroundings
On October 25, 2021, Malay Mail reported DBKL saying that while under the Kuala Lumpur City Plan (KLCP) 2020 a plot ratio of 1:6 was allowed, developments must blend with the existing surroundings.
In the KLCP 2020 (Alteration 3) (Part II), which was adopted on June 25, 2021, it is stated that the development should be based on the concept of Sustainable Cascade Eco Integrated Development, where the development with the concept of high-rise should be in Lot PT 26 (former IKUM location), while lower height development can be placed near the bungalow lots around the site.
In addition, DBKL reportedly said the KLCP 2020 stated that the development and massing of building blocks on this site should be arranged and adapted to low density residential areas and adjacent green areas to balance the existing ecology through biodiversity conservation by integrating it in future developments.
“We don’t know if they are stopping at the 62-storey condominium, or as what we have been hearing that some buildings could go as high as 80 stories,” Ksharmini said.
As part of a “remedy”, residents are also suggesting that the periphery be developed into a park to form a green buffer for the surrounding low-rise residential properties.
“This park should be constructed by the government-linked company, and should be accessible and available to the public to ensure public money be utilised for the benefit of the citizens.
“Lot 481146 (the land parcel which connects Jalan Abdullah and Federal Hill) should remain as open green space, serving as an environmental buffer zone to the green area of Federal Hill.
“This suggestion was welcomed by all who were present at a recent meeting held at Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil’s office and he had instructed SFH to study the proposal as all parties will benefit from it,” she said.
For now, the masterplan for Lot 481146 has yet to be approved, she added.
“Federal Hill is home to four Istanas and has been recognised as an environmentally sensitive area with steep slopes suitable for only low density development.
“The stability of the site and the surroundings which includes the residential areas of Lingkungan Negeri Sembilan, Persiaran Negeri Sembilan, Jalan Bukit Travers, Lorong Travers, Seri Bukit Persekutuan, Jalan Abdullah and Bangsar Park would be adversely affected if developments are not sustainably managed,” Ksharmini said.
