DESPITE no plan to gazette the draft KL City Plan 2020, Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor has pledged to make Kuala Lumpur a more conducive city for its residents. 

This was in response to a plan by a residents’ group to take Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to court if the local authority refuses to gazette the draft KL City Plan 2020.

“We are looking at the KL City Plan, why I didn’t want to gazette it is because the planning was done in 2008. 

“Time has taken over events, so I’m looking at it, don’t worry. Don’t worry we will give them a very good and conducive city to live in,” he told reporters after launching the Volunteerism in Community Engagement (VOICE) programme in Kuala Lumpur today. 

A coalition of Kuala Lumpur residents, Selamatkan Kuala Lumpur, had said that they wanted DBKL to gazette the plan which is being used as a guideline.

“We have not given them a time frame, but if they fail to do so, we will take the matter to court,” chairman Dr Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman said. 

Aziz said in the absence of a local plan, there had been a substantial oversupply of high-rise buildings, which did not reflect residents’ needs, but were approved by DBKL anyway.

Residents were shocked by Tengku Adnan’s statement last year that the KL Draft City Plan 2020 would not be gazetted as planned.

The plan, which cost DBKL almost RM30 million  to produce, was launched in 2008 and scheduled to be gazetted in 2012 before it was delayed to 2013. 

The plan remained a draft after Tengku Adnan announced that it would not be gazetted in its present state.  

Tengku Adnan was quoted as saying he would not approve the plan as it had room for abuse.

Last week, Mayor Mhd Amin Nordin Abdul Aziz had said discussions would be held on the drafting of a new plan: the KL Structure Plan 2050.

Aziz said he was informed by DBKL planning executive director Mohd Najib that there were plans for a new Local Draft Plan 2035.

Kuala Lumpur residents have been up in arms against the city council over a raft of projects in several neighbourshoods.

Last year, Taman Desa residents filed a judicial review against the KL mayor to halt construction of a condominium three to four times taller than surrounding ones. 

Taman Tun Dr Ismail residents also sued DBKL to halt a luxury condominium project in Taman Rimba Kiara. However, the High Court quashed their bid to stay the project. – February 25, 2018.