Give Taman Rimba Kiara green status in 2040 city plan, DBKL told

 

Minister Hannah Yeoh said a Cabinet decision recently directed DBKL to build permanent housing for the TTDI longhouse residents from 98 families.

KUALA LUMPUR: 

Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh has urged Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to ensure that the draft Kuala Lumpur Local Plan 2040 reflects the apex court’s decision for Taman Rimba Kiara to remain a green area.

Yeoh, who is also youth and sports minister, said she attended DBKL’s engagement session with the public on Monday and found that the draft plan still proposed mixed development in the area. 

The court ruled that the draft plan should show that the existing park remains a green area and is not designated as a mixed development,

 she told a press conference in Parliament.

The Federal Court in April 2023 denied DBKL’s appeal to reinstate the proposed Taman Rimba Kiara development project.

The proposed development features eight blocks of high-end serviced apartments, including a 29-storey block comprising 350 affordable housing units, for the relocation of Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) longhouse residents.

The appellants, who included Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan (YWP) and developer Memang Perkasa Sdn Bhd, were appealing against a Court of Appeal decision handed down in 2021 which quashed a 2017 development order for Taman Rimba Kiara after it ruled in favour of TTDI residents in a judicial review appeal.

Delivering the judgment of the court, Justice Nallini Pathmanathan said the mayor had improperly changed the land use from a public park to a mixed development without explanation.

Yeoh revealed that a Cabinet decision recently agreed that DBKL must build permanent housing for the longhouse residents from 98 families.

“Permanent housing must be the priority. But when you build the permanent housing, it must be restricted to the current footprint of the longhouse, which is about four acres.

This means you should not be building beyond the four acres or encroach into the Taman Rimba Kiara park,

 she said.

Yeoh added that this is the first time a Cabinet decision was made that prioritises housing needs of the longhouse residents while at the same time maintaining that Taman Rimba Kiara must be a green space.

Buffer zones for Taman Persekutuan Bukit Kiara needed

Yeoh said that residents have called on DBKL to designate buffer zones around Taman Persekutuan Bukit Kiara to protect the wildlife, such as fireflies, in the area.

Without a buffer zone, developments would take place right next to the park and all these living creatures would flee due to pollution,

 she added.

In November 2020, a large part of the Taman Persekutuan Bukit Kiara was officially gazetted.

Keep an eye on developments in Kampung Sungai Penchala

Yeoh reiterated her call for development at Kampung Sungai Penchala to be monitored closely to maintain it as a traditional village area.

She said currently there are many individual lots where people are building their own houses, including bungalows.

She said if DBKL failed to carry out proper monitoring of such developments, flash floods in the area would become a matter of concern. - FMT