KUALA LUMPUR, May 2 — Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has imposed a 300m buffer zone on a proposed development opposite the Taman Persekutuan Bukit Kiara recreational park, following complaints from residents in Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI).
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh said the decision was made after taking into account the potential impact on nearby residents and local biodiversity, The Star reported.
“I am very aware of how important parks are, not just for those living in Bukit Kiara, but for everyone in Kuala Lumpur.
“Kuala Lumpur is a city, and its people need green spaces for recreational activities and to de-stress,” she said.
Yeoh spoke to the media after an event at the park today, organised by local non-profit Friends of Bukit Dinding (FoBK), where Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Fadlun Mak Ujud and FoBK president Leon Koay were also present.
She told The Star that no development order had been issued to the developer and that negotiations were still ongoing.
The announcement follows protests by TTDI residents against a proposed pair of 30-storey condominiums next to the park.
The project, on a 3.42ha site, is undergoing an environmental impact assessment as part of the approval process, the English daily reported.
Residents had raised concerns that the development would disrupt the park’s natural ecosystem and worsen traffic along Changkat Abang Haji Openg, Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad, and Jalan Datuk Sulaiman.
On April 12, residents held a town hall session to launch a petition calling for the buffer zone to be increased to between 300m and 500m, compared with a previous 50m guideline set by the National Landscape Department (JLN), which manages the park.
Last August, Friends of Bukit Dinding (FoBK) filed a judicial review seeking a stay order to stop City Hall from granting approvals for the project, among other requests.
The Kuala Lumpur High Court granted leave in September.
