Hotel-office development proposed at Residensi HELP building

KUALA LUMPUR (July 24): Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) has received a proposal to convert the institutional land status of the former HELP University student accommodation to commercial, which would pave the way for the development of a mixed-use commercial building.

Residensi HELP is located along Jalan Damansara and may make way for a 24-storey commercial building comprising a seven-storey hotel with 236 rooms, 15 levels of office space (163 units), two floors of facilities and four basement car park levels.

A notice board with the above information and a deadline for the residents to submit their written objections on the proposed land status conversion to DBKL was recently erected in front of the building.

The objections must be submitted by Aug 7.

When contacted by EdgeProp.my, Selamatkan Kuala Lumpur or Save KL Coalition (SKL) deputy chairperson Datuk M Ali shared his cocerns over the land status conversion to commercial, namely that it would attract all kinds of people to the area due to the round-the-clock activities operating there and increase traffic congestion.

“It causes concern. For one, precedence would lead to greater damages as more such developments would definitely crop up. This area is already such a congested place. Has there even been a feasibility study on this proposed development? SKL will definitely send in a written protest.

“Why pose such hardship to the residents here? If we did not diligently look out for the announcement, then we would have missed it,” Ali told EdgeProp.my.

SKL will also raise such redevelopment issues in a meeting with new Federal Territories Minister Khalid Abdul Samad sometime this week.

EdgeProp.my has contacted DBKL for more details on the proposed Residensi HELP redevelopment.