Mont Kiara residents against proposed development

Photo by Leow Mei Chern

Photo by Fazleena Aziz

Fighting for a common cause: Residents voicing out their concerns during a meeeting recently.
Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2011/12/3/central/10018000&sec=central (By FAZLEENA AZIZ, 3/12/2011)
Residents from the La Grande, Kiaraville and Tiffani Kiara condominiums are protesting against a proposed commercial development nearby in Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur. About 50 residents carrying placards stood in front of the proposed site near Changkat Mont Kiara expressing their disappointment with Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) for approving the project. Residents said the project, consisting of a 26-storey office block and nine floors of car park on a 0.45ha site near the Soho KL @ Solaris Mont Kiara would aggravate the traffic congestion in the area.
The site is now being used as a car park.
On Nov 16, the residents had attended an objection hearing and voiced their concerns. The residents are objecting against Mont Kiara slowly losing its residential status and becoming a commercial centre. Some residents are planning to get an injunction against the development. Tiffani Kiara chairman Carol Lee said the land status was marked as institutional but had been converted to commercial in 2009. She said DBKL had informed that only Kiaraville had the right to object at the hearing. “However, Tiffani and Le Grande should be included because we are directly affected as well,” she added, Lee said the residents were not allowed to ask technical questions during the hearing.
Le Grande chairman Terry Openshaw said the plot of land was a landfill and piling work in the area would affect nearby condominiums.
Frankie Chow from Kiaraville said with commercial centres like Soho KL, Plaza Mont Kiara and 1Mont Kiara in the area, there was no need for another development. It is a small plot of land and this development will just aggravate the traffic congestion in the already high-density area.
Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng, who was present at the meeting, said the residents should be united in their stand to get a positive outcome.