Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Objections presented for several PJ projects

Taken from the Star today 18 March 2009

EIGHT public hearings were held at the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) office on Monday to look into the suggestions and objections for several proposed projects in the city.

Among those mentioned were the proposed developments at the former Matsushita factory in Jalan SS 8/1, the former Kelana Seafood Restaurant in Jalan SS7/13, the Baywatch Cafe in Jalan PJU 1/42, a commercial block in Jalan SS6/6 and a mixed development in Bandar Sri Damansara.

PJ councillor Derek Fernandez, who chaired the hearings, said the next step would be to compile all the objections and comments that had been made and tabled them before the One-Stop Centre (OSC), which was the committee that approved development.

“The OSC will make a decision based on the law, guidelines and objections that have been heard.

“In some cases, residents have requested for further information; therefore we will defer the decision until the information is exchanged between the objector and the applicant.

“We would like the objector and the applicant to meet beforehand and try, as far as possible, to resolve their differences. What they can’t resolve, they can come back to us for a decision,” he said.

According to Fernandez, a major problem that is stopping development is insufficient infrastructure.

“Because the existing infrastructure can’t take it anymore, the developers will be denied their rights to maximise on densities and plot ratios. This is also substantially and adversely affecting residents.

“If the Federal Government wants to spur economic development in the country, it must put all its resources into public transportation and infrastructure.

“Now is the opportunity for the Federal Government to work with the state government and build new infrastructure like drains and roads,” he said.

“There is also a need to have an efficient, cost effective, user-friendly public transportation system which is run by the government. It cannot be privatised because the goal of privatisation is profit.”

Fernandez said the MBPJ might have to impose development charges on developers in the future, which would go towards an infrastructure contribution fund.

“The charges will be based on the type of development. The money is put into a centralised pool and used to improve infrastructure,” he said, adding that it was also important to ensure that the job was carried out properly by the contractors.

“Unlike the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), the MBPJ has never had a substantial development contribution fund, but this may become a reality.”

Seri Setia assemblyman Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad highlighted his concern that the three projects in his constituency (SS8, SS7 and SS6) involved the Damansara-Puchong Highway, which is already Class F in terms of traffic flow, which he said is “one of the worst”.

“While I agree that the current situation is not the developers’ fault and that they can’t be expected to solve it, the proposed projects must take into account this issue and how the project should not contribute further to the existing problem.”

He stressed on the importance of adhering to the allowable plot ratio, as, according to him, the proposals for the three projects in his constituency had exceeded the plot ratio requirement that is allowed by the MBPJ and Town and Country Planning Department.

“I’m not saying we’re against development. The land is already in the hands of the developer so we have to be practical,” said Nik Nazmi.

“How we go about doing it is that we regulate the development, in terms of ensuring requirements on height, density and traffic flow are adhered to.

“Greater attention must be paid to bus terminals and shuttle services and how to integrate it into the public transportation system,” he said.

Fernandez noted that the MBPJ practises transparency and public participation in its decision-making process and had invited reporters and representatives from the All-Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Residents Association Coalition and Real Estate and Housing Developers Association Malaysia to attend the hearings.

“We even listened to residents who didn’t have the legal rights to object,” he said.

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