Residents in jitters over project

Bad tidings: The notice informing residents of the upcoming development at KL Sentral

The owners of the Suasana Sentral Condominium and Suasana Sentral Loft at Kuala Lumpur Sentral are real unhappy over a plan to build a 30-storey building near their properties.

What irked them most is that the developer, Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad (MRCB), had apparently given them an impression six years ago that the particular area would remain a green spot.

They said the green area was a major factor influencing them to buy their units at the Suasana Sentral and Suasana Sentral Loft.

“The developer had promised us that the land would remain green and that no development would take place there and now we find out that it is going to build a 30-storey building,” said expatriate Timoko Atsuka, a resident of Suasana Sentral.

“The KL Sentral is a transport hub and is congested and the lack of parking bays makes the situation even worse. This new development is going to cause more congestion,” she said.

Rita Vong said she would be moving into the Loft in August and her unit faced the open area where the new building was to be built.

She is worried about noise and air pollution.

Shankar Narayanan, the owner of a unit in Suasana Sentral, said the developer should be responsible enough to brief the residents on the new project and provide them with the density figures.

“There has to be limits as to the population and high-rise density in the area and we want all this information to be made public,” he said.

According to Shankar, the residents are also seeking a traffic assessment report for the entire area.

The residents said they would meet officials of the Coalition to Save Kuala Lumpur, a group comprising residents associations, to seek their advice.

The residents want to find out if the proposed development is in line with the Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan 2020 and the draft Kuala Lumpur City Plan 2020.

The residents are also complaining that the entire neighbourhood is getting congested, and they blame the KL Sentral management for the chaotic situation.

They alleged that a new entertainment outlet at the KL Sentral operating until 5am on weekends was another source of congestion and disturbance.

They said the outlet patrons simply parked their cars in the middle of the road, blocking all entries from the KL Sentral to the Suasana Sentral condominium.

The residents said that buses were also parked on the roadsides under the no-parking and towing signs and were contributing to the congestion in the neighbourhood.

“This place is getting overcrowded and during peak times it gets really bad. Something must be done about the situation,” resident Sunny Yeoh said.

When contacted, a MRCB spokesman said at the time of the KL Sentral’s inception, the empty plot of land on which the Shell petrol station was previously sited did not belong to the KL Sentral or MRCB, nor was it any part of the original blueprint.

The land was sold to Gapurna Sdn Bhd a few years ago by Shell after it closed its petrol station.

The land had always been designated a commercial zone. Gapurna later applied for the full commercial development of the parcel.

Defying the law: Buses and taxis parked all along the road leading to the KL Sentral and bordering the Suasana Sentral condo despite the towing sign.

The MRCB spokesman said his company became aware of this development last year and then signed a joint venture agreement with Gapurna.

“We entered into this venture to exercise some measure of control over the development that would take place on the lot, including its design and construction decisions. We want to ensure that the proposed development would complement the KL Sentral masterplan and development,” he said.

“As a responsible developer, our team of experienced personnel will do the required research and analysis to ensure the feasibility of the development on this plot of land, as well as to ensure that the overall concept is not compromised,” the MRCB official said.

He said the MRCB would ensure that there was sufficient greenery and that proper landscaping was done to benefit the communities nearby and that the company would also reduce the density to ensure that it was consistent with the existing KL Sentral development.

On the issue of buses illegally parked along Jalan Stesen Sentral 3, and disturbances caused by entertainment outlets operating till the wee hours of the morning, the MRCB official promised that Semasa Sentral Sdn Bhd, the managers of the Sentral station, would monitor the situation.

“Action will be taken against those found not adhering to regulations,” he said.

“The KL Sentral has seen rapid progress since its inception 10 years ago. Individual components within the development complement each other, and MRCB will ensure that this value remains,” the MRCB official said.

By The Star (by Bavani M)