Another high-rise project near Highland Towers?

A residents’ association claimed that a private developer had said that the project is needed to 'rectify' unsafe hillslopes nearby during a meeting mediated by MPAJ last week.

PETALING JAYA: There are plans by a private developer to build five condominium towers at Taman Hillview, near the site of the ruins of the Highland Towers apartments.

The Sri Ukay/Hillview Residents Association chairperson Siti Hendon Chik said the distance between the proposed project and the Highland tower ruins was about “walking distance.”

“Our residents’ committee attended a meeting on Oct 3 with the developer, mediated by the Ampang Jaya Town Council at Menara MPAJ,” she said.

The proposed project, Siti Hendon said, would sit on an eight-acre land, housing five towers of 17-storey condominiums.

It would also be a gated community project.

She said that during the meeting, some of the residents were opposed to the project but the developer said that the development was needed to “rectify” some hillslopes nearby that could endanger the residents.

“I asked MPAJ why it was not rectifying the slopes if it was dangerous; the officer told us that it would cost too much money and time, even up to four years,” said Siti Hendon.

She also told them that the area was already facing heavy traffic congestion and further development at the area would make matters worse.

“But MPAJ assured us that nothing is finalised and it is still in the midst of getting public feedback on the condominium project,” said Siti Hendon.

She later said that it was important for the local authorities to rectify the hillslopes first if they posed an immediate danger to the residents living at the area.

“The local authorities must solve the slope problem, not handing it over to a third party,” said Siti Hendon.

Unsafe hillslopes

Echoing Siti Hendon’s sentiments, another resident from Sri Ukay, Lee Joo Khim, said the developer had pitched its idea that the development is needed due to the unsafe hillslopes nearby.

Therefore, Lee added, the association had asked for several reports from the developer and the MPAJ for further assessment.

“We asked them to provide land titles, geo-technical reports and others. MPAJ promised to hand them over to us soon and gave us one month to study them upon the date of receipt,” said Lee.

The residents are planning to visit the developer’s office next week to study the geographical report of the area, which is said to have been completed recently.

FMT failed to reach Selangor executive councillor for housing Iskandar Abdul Samad and MPAJ director of town planning Nizam Shaari for comments.

Block A of the Highland Towers apartments collapsed in December 1993 causing 48 people to lose their lives.

Occupants from the rest of the blocks were subsequently evacuated due to safety concerns.

Meanwhile, an official from MPAJ confirmed that it has received an application from a developer for the project at Taman Hillview.

“The site is about 100 metres away from Highland Towers,” said the official.

‘Ask the state government’

However, he said that the local council has yet to give its approval as it was still getting public feedback on the matter.

The official said that the eight-acre land belongs to the developer and it was designated for housing purposes.

However, only one-third of the land would be used for the condominium project as the rest of the land was unfit.

“The developer had promised to rectify the slopes on the rest of the private land. On top of that, it has also promised to rectify slopes at a nearby 18-acres land which belongs to the state government. The entire process to rectify the slopes will cost RM12 million,” said the official.

He said the slopes that were needed to be rectified were currently unsafe.

On why MPAJ did not rectify the slopes in the past 20 years, the official said that it was due to budget constraints.

“You have to ask the state government. In areas managed by MPAJ alone, we have about 600 slopes to maintain. We only have funds to manage the slopes,” said official.

(Main photo shows the collapsed Highland Towers. The second photo shows the road leading to the proposed condominium project.)