How many condos can fit along a 500m road in Kuala Lumpur? Here’s what Taman Desa residents are fighting for

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 — Along a short 500-metre stretch of road in Taman Danau Desa, there are already three condominiums, and residents say that’s enough.

They are now fighting to save two remaining plots of land along the same road, originally meant for a playground and a police station, from being turned into yet more high-rises.

That’s why the residents formed the Protect Taman Desa group to push for both lands to be restored to their original purpose.

Where are the playground and police station lands?

If you’re unfamiliar with Jalan 3/109f, it’s a tree-lined, two-way road in Taman Danau Desa about 450 to 500 metres long.

Two condominiums, Danau Permai and Danau Idaman, are on both sides when you turn into the road.

On the left, you’ll see shoplots, Danau Idaman condominium, a Shell petrol station, the under-construction Kensho Residence, and Lot 50255, the 0.86-acre land meant for a police station.

On the right are a Hindu temple, the 2.11-acre Lot 481440 meant for a playground, and water tanks near the end of the road.

The playground land takes up about one-third of the road’s length, roughly the size of one football field, or the length of 25 parking bays.

Protect Taman Desa said both plots, once public land, have been sold to developers and rezoned for residential use, each with a 3.5 plot ratio — potentially 320 condominium units per plot.

With three existing condos (totalling 1,012 units from Danau Permai and Danau Impian combined and 310 more from Kensho Residence), Taman Desa residents said two more projects could add about 650 units to the same road.

Keeping the ‘taman’ feel vs more condos and cars

Protect Taman Desa volunteer Dishen Keseva Kumar said they want to preserve the neighbourhood’s taman feel.

Another volunteer with the group Lok Shi Shuen said weekday traffic along Jalan 3/109f is already “insane” and more condos would only make it worse.

“It’s just going to be crazy lah if we have another condo here, because now everyone has like two, three cars per family. People are going to be parking at the side of the road, and that’s going to make it worse,” she told Malay Mail.

Jalan 3/109f in Taman Danau Desa, as seen on a weekend ahead of public holidays, is lined by trees with streetside parking on both sides and a single lane for each direction. — Picture by Choo Choy May

Lok said many residents still rely on cars due to limited public transport options — Rapid KL’s 650 bus to Pasar Seni, the MRT feeder bus to Kuchai station, and Rapid KL’s DRT van service.

A lifelong Taman Danau Desa resident and a regular public transport user, Lok recalled cycling to school and friends’ houses in her younger days, saying the area was also more walkable then.

The skating rink, shaped like a figure eight, used to have railings and is part of Taman Desa resident Lok Shi Shuen’s childhood memories. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin

Memories of the playground land

Lok said the playground had been there for over two decades before it was bulldozed on August 31.

She recalled skating on a rink on the land almost weekly as a child and said residents also used the area to walk dogs and train pets.

Next to the skating rink, humanitarian group Tzu Chi ran a recycling centre and thrift store and educated the public on recycling before being asked to vacate in 2021.

Dishen said the land was once a hub for the community, from recycling to gardening.

“Taman Desa has people who want to start these initiatives, but if they keep taking land away from us, we can’t do community projects like that,” he said of the community garden Kebun-Kebun Desa that was also on the land.

Within the playground land, there are steps leading to Kebun-Kebun Desa, which was formerly a community garden used by Taman Desa residents. — Picture by Choo Choy May

Lok said the land should remain public, and a green space where people could gather for activities such as planting, or even badminton or pickleball.

Another volunteer who gave his name as James said this land was more than just a playground.

“Actually it’s more than a playground, green lung, recycling centre, communal farming Kebun-Kebun Desa — that’s four major activities already in one park.”

He confirmed Taman Danau Desa only has two green areas now — this playground land and a football field.

He noted that Taman Danau Desa had already lost three other plots of public land meant for a community hall, library and bus terminal – all now condominiums.

Taman Danau Desa’s food court has been on the police station land for more than a decade, since at least resident Lok Shi Shuen’s secondary school years. It is seen here next to the under-construction Kensho Residence on December 31, 2024. — Picture by Choo Choy May

Why the police station land matters

The police station site previously housed a food court but is now cleared and fenced up with a “For Rent” sign.

Currently, Taman Desa’s nearest police presence is a small pondok in Taman Abadi Indah and the Brickfields police station.

James said the Taman Danau Desa land is larger than both and ideal for a full-fledged police station to serve the area.

Alternatively, he said it should still be used for other public amenities such as a community hall, instead of being given away for another development.

“As Taman Desa is growing, it makes more sense to have a police station. I know that they didn’t build a police station beforehand, but it’s better than having a condo,” Lok said.

The land which was meant for a police station has now been fenced up and locked up with a ‘For Rent’ sign, while some of the food stalls have relocated next to this land. — Picture by Choo Choy May

‘Not anti-development, just pro-community’

Lok said the group had been criticised as some believed the group wanted to keep the area exclusive, but stressed that it was about sustainability, not resistance to development.

“So it’s not just your quality of life that goes down because you move into this unsustainable neighbourhood; everybody loses as well. The only one who wins is the developers,” she said.

“Had this been private land, I wouldn’t be fighting it. I’m fighting it because it’s public space. And to top it off, it was a communal space for a range of people — from older people doing planting to recycling, the middle-aged, and then younger people [at the] playground, and other people walking their pets,” James said, explaining he was not “anti-development”.

The playground, which had been fenced up, was torn down on August 31, 2025. Shown here is the site where the playground once stood. — Picture by Choo Choy May

Beyond Taman Desa 

Lok said the issue should matter to other Kuala Lumpur residents too.

“It could happen to any one of us. Even though we are living peacefully now, it doesn’t mean we are free from overdevelopment in our areas,” she said.

James said: “Because if they can take away one playground, they can take away other playgrounds.”

He urged more residents to take ownership of their communities.

“It’s just something that’s so close to home. People need to take ownership of their taman, right? … If something happens right in front of you, you’ve got to make it right,” he said.