KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 27): Shocked to find out that a land parcel in Federal Hill was being rezoned for commercial development, the residents living in the vicinity and non-governmental organization (NGO) Selamatkan Kuala Lumpur (SKL) urged the local authorities to reverse any development plan on the land to protect the green lung in the city, reported Malay Mail today.

The report, citing the residents, said the piece of land within the Federal Hill - Lot 481146 (previously known as PT 9434), was recently being rezoned for a mixed development. 

A private land title search has shown that the land ownership was transferred to Setia Federal Hill Sdn Bhd on June 17, 2016, said the report, adding that in the approved KLCP 2020 (Alt 3) (Pt II), SKL and the residents found that the land parcel in Federal Hill had been rezoned to mixed development with a plot ratio of 1:6.

“This is an example of how a green lung can be at risk if it is not gazetted as a green lung in the first place in the Kuala Lumpur City Plan 2020. We have made so many objections previously and called for the Federal Territories Minister to gazette Federal Hill as a green lung, and this is precisely what we were trying to prevent,” said SKL chairman Datuk M. Ali.

Alongside the group of residents in Federal Hill, Ali wants the authorities to reverse the plan in the “last sizable” green lung in the city.

“We really hope that the KL mayor and now Federal Territories Minister (Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim) will look into the objections we have made, particularly regarding the land parcel in Federal Hill,” said Ali.

Currently, Federal Hill is a low-density area with narrow roads and abundant greenery which plays a key role in making up more green/open space in Kuala Lumpur.

One of the resident representatives Ksharmini Thanigasalam concerns that to have plot ratio 1:6 in the area will invite the construction of high-rise buildings, which will tower over adjacent residential houses on Lorong Travers, Lorong Limau Manis, Jalan Abdullah, SMK Bangsar, Persiaran Negeri Sembilan and Lingkungan Negri Sembilan.

“This would also change the character of the neighbourhood where the new nondescript blocks would be out of place and would certainly change the mood of the area causing its heritage character to slowly fade away,” Ksharmini said.

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