Metro

Saturday May 17, 2008

Developer: We have DID’s letter

By JAYAGANDI JAYARAJ


SDB Properties Sdn Bhd, the developer of the hillside development project in Medan Damansara, Kuala Lumpur guaranteed that the company had obtained approvals from all 16 technical departments and regulatory bodies before the project began in December last year.

One of the approvals came from the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) which includes the Erosion Sediment and Control Plan (ESCP).

Choy: ‘We welcome the Medan Damansara residents to make appointments with us to come and have a look at the plan.’

Its property development general manager Choy Wing Sung said the company's records showed that the DID had given its ‘no objection letter’ to the Kuala Lumpur City Hall's (DBKL) city planning department dated Dec 26, 2006.

“We have it all in our records and we welcome the Medan Damansara residents to make appointments with us to come and have a look at the plan and approvals,” he said in a press conference yesterday in response to the recent publicity on the project in the media.

In a report on Thursday, the residents said they were informed by the DID via a letter that the developer had failed to submit the ESCP before the project began in December 2007 as stipulated in the development order.

An important requirement was to produce the ESCP before the application for the drainage and earthworks plans to be approved by the DBKL.

In response to the safety aspect of the hillside project, Choy said the company was spending RM34 mil on infrastructure works.

He added the development would stabilise the slope as the land wouldbe reinforced by several retaining structures.

The company has also hired two independent geotechnical consultants to monitor the geotechnical and site reports to the DBKL.

He explained that the low Factor of Safety (Fos) for the original slope had caused isolated shallow soil slips before works even started.

“Before the development work began, the slope was deemed dangerous being below 1.4 of the Fos scale.

“But after the construction the readings are above 1.4,” said Choy.

The land was purchased from the SPPK (Syarikat Perumahan Pegawai Kerajaan) with a development order (DO) dated May 13 in 2003 and a building plan approval dated Feb 22, 2005.

However, in 2006, SDB Properties applied to amend the DO as to a revised layout plan to comply with requirements from DBKL, which is to reduce 25 units to 21 units of bungalows.

DBKL granted the DO for the project in Feb 2007.

  • E-mail this story
  • Print this story

Source:

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter Star Metro on Facebook Star Metro on Twitter