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Objections to PJ Sentral

By Johan Tung Abdullah

June 22, 2010

I AM writing on behalf of the Coalition of Residents Associations of Petaling Jaya (Apac) to voice our concerns and objections to the proposed “PJ Sentral” development in Section 52 of Petaling Jaya.

On its own, this is a massive development of eight tower blocks of up to 27 floors each, and that’s just Phase 1 of the proposed redevelopment of Section 52. Our concerns and objections are based on our expert analysis of the development’s impact on the local community. Essentially, the impact would include massive increase in traffic congestion, noise pollution, vehicle fumes, and the imposition of road construction, widening and extensions through and adjacent to established residential communities in PJ.

The developer’s own traffic experts admit that that the car parking attached to this development would be inadequate to cope with the development’s total demand. Based upon the developer’s own numbers, our experts calculate the shortfall in car parking to be about 6,000 vehicles. These vehicles would then need to find parking on already congested streets in and around the PJ New Town area and adjacent neighbourhoods. Just imagine the chaotic consequences.

PJ residents have for some time been looking forward to the modernisation of the PJ New Town and Old Town areas encompassing Section 52. We envisioned a community-centred development which would enhance PJ stakeholders’ quality of life. Instead, we got a multi-billion dollar project which would displace rather than serve the local community. The project would, however, in our estimate, make hundreds of millions of ringgit in profit for the developers and their stakeholders.

Their application also shows that PJ ratepayers may have to bear the burden of more than RM92 million in infrastructure works to justify their application or proposal.

Despite recent comments in the media, neither PJ Mayor Datuk Mohamad Roslan Sakiman, the PJ City Council (MBPJ), nor the developer has engaged with or discussed these plans with the local community and residents associations until a hearing last week under Local Agenda 21.

For the record, we confirm that Apac opposes this development proposal. We welcome the opportunity to engage with and work out a solution which would serve the community’s interests. But, to date, the developer has refused to make any changes to its proposal application.

We trust that the MBPJ and the mayor are aware of our concerns and objections and that they will make every effort to ensure that the community’s needs and wishes are fully taken into account. We also hope that MBPJ will reconsider the developer’s application carefully, given its flaws as pointed out by our experts and the Traffic Impact Assessment.

We hope that the developer, in the spirit of compromise and respect, will withdraw its current development proposal, and resubmit one that reflects our concerns and objections. From a procedural point of view, unless the developer withdraws its application, it cannot accommodate our input and concerns. Hence, withdrawing would be a prerequisite to any meaningful discussion between the Petaling Jaya community and the developer.

Johan Tung Abdullah
Apac president

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Filed Under: Letters to the Editor Tagged With: APAC, car, congestion, Datuk Mohamad Roslan Sakiman, Johan Tung Abdullah, mbpj, parking, PJ

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. a better PJ says

    June 23, 2010 at 3:28 pm

    If you share the community’s concerns about massive developments in PJ, including the proposed Section 52 Development being proposed by Gapurna, please go to our BLOG at http://abetterpj.blogspot.com/ and vote on our POLL.

    Get your opinion heard.

    Call your local politicians

    Write to the media

    MBPJ is listening and we need to tel them what we want them to do for us.

    Thanks for all your support for “A BETTER PJ”

  2. Joyrama Appusamy says

    June 23, 2010 at 9:39 pm

    I completely agree with Johan’ views on this development.

    I was at the objections hearing at MBPJ last week, and I wasn’t impressed with the briefing by the various experts marshaled by the developer. The traffic consultant did not have cogent answers to various assumptions they have made in coming up with the traffic plan. There is no real answer as to how the PJ town center is going to accommodate some 8000 to 9000 additional cars coming into the development and PJ new town. Suggesting that people will be encouraged or educated to take public transport is a naive thought when the traffic experts admit that public transport in PJ and KL is sorely inadequate.

    They also suggest widening of existing roads where there is no space to widen.
    The town planner never once justified the need eight high rise buildings when the local infra cannot cope with it.

    My view is that this development is not right for PJ and its residents. As our ADUN YB Edward Lee suggested, why can’t PKNS upgrade the buildings here and move its headquarters back here from Shah Alam and save PJ residents a lot of grief. In essence we need a quiet and beautiful city, not one that is chaotic like many parts of KL and PJ.

    Destroying the neighbourhood in the name of development seems to be mantra of the state government. Lets stop this greed !!!!

  3. a better PJ says

    June 25, 2010 at 11:34 am

    We understand, but are waiting for verification, that the “PJ Sentral” Planning Application has been accepted by the MBPJ One-Stop-Centre (OSC), subject to certain changes and conditions…but substantially accepted.

    Make your opinion and concerns heard !

    http://abetterpj.blogspot.com/

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