TTDI high-rise project can be axed – if RM110m compensation paid

PETALING JAYA (Aug 9): The developer of a contentious high-density, high-rise development at Taman Rimba Kiara (TRK) in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, is willing to cancel the project if Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) is willing to pay RM110 million in compensation, reported The Star.

The sum represents the amount the developer has spent so far on the project, which includes paying the land premium of between RM60 million and RM70 million, as well as modifications to the recreational park, said Federal Territories Minister Khalid Samad.

Original plans called for the development of eight blocks of luxury serviced apartments that are 42 storeys to 54 storeys high, as well as a 29-storey tower comprising 350 units of affordable housing promised to the TTDI longhouse residents.

Currently, 100 families within the longhouse community will be given a 74.3sqm each for free, while their second generation members will be allowed to purchase the apartments at half the market price.

In exchange, the developer is allowed to build the high-end serviced apartments.

The ministry is in negotiations with the developer, with another possible outcome being a scaled-down version of the project that has a smaller land area and fewer blocks.

“We will obviously have to refund a portion of the premium. The developer was given 4.85ha land and we are trying to negotiate with them to reduce the acreage for the development and the number of blocks.

“To me, eight residential blocks sounds a bit extreme. The longhouse and a temple span about four acres. We might need another extra two acres to house the longhouse residents temporarily while the developer builds the apartments on the existing longhouse land,” he told the daily.

While Khalid has given his assurance that the development will not encroach on TRK, the park's actual boundaries coupled with a land transfer has complicated matters.

According to the TTDI Residents' Association, TRK comprises 10.11ha of state land according to title searches conducted at the Kuala Lumpur Land and Mines Office dating back to 2010.

However, Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan had managed to issue a title to itself for 4.85ha out of the entire park, transferring state land to the foundation.

The TTDI volunteer technical group had earlier proposed that sustainable and permanent townhouses be built for the longhouse residents at a cost for RM15 million.

However, Khalid said that solution did not include the compensation owed to the developer, and would have cost DBKL RM125 million in total.

So much taxpayer's money should not be used for this, he added.

“I hope everyone is willing to take a cut to find an amicable solution to this problem,” he said.

Khalid said he is seeking a solution that meets the needs of all parties, which include ensuring that the longhouse residents receive their apartments.

“I think it is an insult. In a Federal Territory, to have families living in that kind of condition for such a long period... we should not allow this to carry on.

“I want to find a solution where we can address the concerns of TTDI residents and get replacement houses for the people and families living in the longhouse,” he said.

TTDI residents had filed a judicial review application at the High Court to revoke the conditional planning permission and a development order granted by DBKL earlier last year.

However, their application for a stay order against the development pending the review was dismissed.

The next hearing for the judicial review is set for Sept 25 and 26 at the Kuala Lumpur High Court before Judge Datuk Nordin Hassan.