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©The Star (Used by permission)
by Bavani M and Yip Yoke Teng

• City Hall lobby a hive of activity as plans go on display
• Parliamentarians dismayed by draft plan

TEMPERS flared, heated words were exchanged and some even uttered curses as residents voiced their dissatisfaction when Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) revealed the contents of the Draft Kuala Lumpur City Plan 2020 yesterday at City Hall

Before Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Ab Hakim Borhan launched the plan, residents from Federal Hill, Bukit Gasing and Bangsar were seen scrutinising parts of the plan that was exhibited at the lobby of the DBKL headquarters.

It did not take them long to pick out the discrepancies as many were present with their legal advisers.

When it dawned on them that some spots in their neighbourhoods had been earmarked for development, some started arguing in a loud manner and were even heard hurling expletives.

One of the more vocal groups were the Federal Hill residents when their greatest fear became a reality after discovering that their neighbourhood land which was formerly Institutional (Police Reserve land) had been rezoned as Commercial.

“I am disappointed and shocked at this turn of events. What was earlier zoned as government institutional land has now become commercial overnight and this was done without consultation with the community.

“This would significantly impact the quality of our lives here,” Federal Hill resident Amar Khan said.

“We did not expect this at all,” resident Pook Li Yoon said.

“We thought that they would take into consideration that the land is institutional and hence of low density as per the Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan 2020 (KLSO2020). We are in shock at this blatant disregard of the rules,” she said.

Federal Hill legal adviser Derek Fernandez questioned the legality of the plan, which he said is in direct contravention of the KLSP2020.

“I want to know who approved the plan. He should go to jail,” the visibly-upset Fernandez said.

Fernandez said that under the law, before preparing the draft plan (and it was prepared two years ago), there must be a pre-consultative process under Sec 12 (a) of the Local Government Act 1976 (2002) and that DBKL did not do this.

Fernandez also said that policy CF3 of the KLSP2020 ensures that land designated as Institutional use (Police Reserve) must only be used for public purposes.

“Public purpose means public facilities like parks, museum, educational facilities and similar public facilities. This new development directly contravenes policy CF3.

“We will demand who had changed the land status and why there was no-pre-consultation. They are supposed to implement policies in the plan and this is not implementation but a violation of it,” Fernandez said.

Meanwhile, Bukit Gasing residents were also not happy with what the plan revealed, as there are proposed developments near the riverbank area.

One resident who identified himself as Vincent said the land surrounding Bukit Gasing is supposed to be meant for recreation but the plan shows that there will be developments right into the riverbank and this contravened the KLSP2020.

“The plan shows substantial development is being proposed here, it’s simply ridiculous,” Vincent said.

When contacted, Bukit Gasing assemblyman Edward Lee expressed his concern over the proposed development and said he would be seeking more details on the matter as well asking to see the necessary papers.

Bangsar residents led by the Bangsar Baru Residents Association president Datuk George Joseph was also spotted checking out the plan and was heard commenting that he was not happy with the high density infrastructure taking place in the Medan Serai area.

Tan Poh Eng, 71, wanted to check the zoning status of his land in Segambut, which was zoned as agricultural.

“I was surprised to discover that there are proposals to break it up and I am worried about it,” he said, adding that he would be submitting his objections soon.

Pook said that DBKL has given residents six weeks to view and object to the draft plan and that during the recent round table discussions with the Kuala Lumpur MP’s, it was recommended that the hearing be extended to another three months.

“After all they took 26 years to produce the draft plan so what’s the hurry?” she asked.

The draft Kuala Lumpur City Plan 2020 lays a series of goals and policies to achieve environmental, social and economic development simultaneously. The goals are:

1) To be a World Class City

KL will have made many positive changes to the physical environment without compromising the local environment and its ecology. It also commits to creating a liveable and attractive environment for residents, businesses and visitors.

2) A Dynamic World Class Business City

KL shall strengthen its role as the premier business and retail hub of the nation, becoming a dynamic international centre that will promote national and regional growth.

3) Connectivity and Accessibility for the City

The draft plan shall move towards an integrated approach to promote more sustainable and environmentally friendly transport system to enhance the city living environment. Transport proposal identified for the draft plan shall reinforce objectives of the KLSP2020.

4) Sustainable Land Use

The pattern of land uses, their location, mix and intensity, is a critical component of the city’s character and structure. It is intended to provide sufficient land for residential, commercial, industrial, and public use.

5) City Living Environment

KL is home to 1.6 mil people and this is expected to grow to 2.2 mil by the year 2020. With more than 464, 9966 homes today, the housing sector is fast growing and contributes significantly to the urban footprint of the city. Hence the plan emphasises the provision of adequate, safe, healthy and comfortable housing for all the city’s residents.

6) Protecting and Enhancing the Environment

As pressure for development in Kuala Lumpur becomes more intense, the need for the protection of the environment becomes greater. Ensuring environmentally sound and sustainable development and achieving world-class environment becomes more challenging and demanding for KL.

7) Enhancing Green Network and Blue Corridor

Parks, green spaces and rivers benefit cities socially, economically and environmentally. KL’s vision is of a network of high quality, accessible parks and green spaces which promote recreation, health, education and economic regeneration, helping to make Kuala Lumpur a significantly more attractive city in which to live and work.

8) Distinctive City Image & Identity

KL is a city of different races and cultures. As a fast developing city, KL has to define its image and identity to ensure that it's heritage is conserved and new developments within the city reflect greater awareness towards urban design excellence that shapes a distinctive KL.

9) Green Infrastructure

To become a sustainable world city, KL must use natural resources more efficiently, increase its re-use of resources, and reduce levels of waste and environmental degradation. As KL grows, these objectives will become even more important.

City Hall lobby a hive of activity as plans go on display

THE launch and exhibition of the Kuala Lumpur City Plan 2020 turned City Hall lobby into a hive of activity yesterday with some 300 members of residents’ associations, NGOs, private corporations and government agencies turning up.

They were seen scrutinising the land use zoning of their respective areas and queuing up to buy the RM200 hardcopy of the draft plan.

That, however, led to frustration and disappointment among some groups who felt that their areas would be over-developed and the green lungs would be encroached on if the plan proceeds.

The draft plan was prepared in accordance with Section 13(2) of the Federal Territory (Planning) Act 1982 and its main function is to interpret information, strategies and policies outlined in the Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan 2020. It details the intended use, as well as development intensity of all 120,000 lots of lands in the city.

It comprises four volumes of reports - the first volume lists out the strategy directions to turn Kuala Lumpur into a world-class city by year 2020, the second volume is the Kuala Lumpur Development Control Plan that contains guidelines controlling the development of Kuala Lumpur.

The third volume contains development-planning guidelines while the last volume is a special report detailing the development planned for Kampong Baru.

However, the third volume was not available for sale at the launch.

The draft plan will be exhibited for six weeks at City Hall headquarters’ lobby and a mobile exhibition will also take place at 12 locations around the city, at a shopping centre and a community hall in each of the Strategic Zones.

The public are encouraged to study the draft plan and give their views in writing by filling up the forms provided at the exhibition areas or through the e-Opinion Form on the official website klcityplan2020.dbkl.gov.my.

City Hall has also developed the Executive Information System on its official website to help the public study the plan.

Mayor Datuk Ab Hakim Borhan later told a press conference that the plan would be gazetted by the end of this year if everything proceeded smoothly.

He assured reporters that the city would have more green lungs in addition to the existing ones.

Hakim also said that the rail network coverage would be increased from the current 10% to 61%. He added that 12 areas had been identified for the rail system but the locations could not be revealed at this point.

He said that plans are in the pipeline to increase bus services as well as support services like park and ride and pedestrian walkways in the city centre.

“The emphasis would also be given to improving the quality of the environment.

“This includes upgrading and carrying out river cleansing exercises as well as building a series of green belts connecting rivers, parks and other recreational areas.

“On top of that, there is a need for an excellent infrastructure system to combat floods, to control rubbish and manage sewerage efficiently and promote water recycling and this is so that the image and identity of Kuala Lumpur's cultural heritage is safeguarded,” Hakim said.

All views submitted will be assessed by a Public Opinion Hearing Committee appointed by the mayor. This committee is made up of City Hall advisory board members, former City Hall officials, planners, town planning academicians from universities and other professionals.

Town planner/ architect Datuk Esa Mohamed, who is also a City Hall advisory board member, will head the committee.

Seven public hearing locations will be set up, one at each of the Strategic Zones, including City Hall’s buildings at Jalan Raja Laut and Jalan Raja Abdullah.

During the hearings, individuals would have 10minutes each to voice their views while organisations have 20minutes.

Parliamentarians dismayed by draft plan

KUALA LUMPUR parliamentarians said they were shocked, worried and concerned over the draft plan after they had a chance to look at it.

Even though the MPs did not have a chance to fully study the thick volumes of the draft plan, they did manage to spot problems by looking at the maps showing land use zoning and development intensity.

Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar said that it looked like parts of Federal Hill, which were supposed to be for institutional use, had been identified for commercial development.

She also pointed out that stretches of Bukit Gasing had been marked for residential use while Medan Serai would have massive infrastructure development.

“This is an apparent encroachment of green lungs and excess development of the areas. This is worrying and we are very concerned,” she said.

“The whole purpose of this exhibition is for the public to give their views on the future plan for Kuala Lumpur.

“I hope this is not a public relations exercise and public opinions and objections must be taken into serious consideration,” she added.

Wangsa Maju MP Wee Choo Keong was shocked after finding out that stretches of Bukit Gasing would be developed instead of being kept as a green belt.

He also expressed frustration as his constituency would not be endowed with many green areas.

“It is definitely not right to have so many public housing projects clustered in an area, as it will worsen the area’s traffic problems. City Hall must not build and only think about preparing necessary infrastructure after that,” he said.

“It seems that City Hall is only interested in building a concrete jungle and not keeping the real jungle,” he added.

Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai highlighted that public hearings of the draft plan should not be conducted by only City Hall, who had been handling the planning and decision making of the draft plan.

“There should be a special task force comprising City Hall and other relevant parties like the MPs, NGOs, professionals, environmentalists, consumer groups and town planners, among others, to conduct the hearings,” he said.

Tan said he would hold dialogues with the local communities to study the draft plan.

He commented that even though the mayor said this was the time to object and to give opinions, it would not be right if the public were not allowed to raise issues after the plan was gazetted as they did not have access to details of the projects.

Like many of his counterparts, Tan urged City Hall to extend the exhibition period and to reduce the price of the draft plan’s hard copy to make it easier for more people to study it.

Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng said the public needed more time to study the draft plan and to consult experts.

He urged his constituents to participate actively to help mould a better environment.

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