A general view of Taman Rimba Kiara. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star
THE recent Cabinet’s decision which directed Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to maintain the greenery in Taman Rimba Kiara while building permanent housing for the longhouse community is welcomed by a group of non-governmental organisations.
This was in response to Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh’s press conference in parliament on July 17.
During the press conference, Yeoh urged Taman Rimba Kiara to be retained as a public park and green space and that DBKLwould ensure this is reflected accordingly in the Kuala Lumpur Local Plan 2040.
She also said the permanent housing for the 98-family longhouse community should be built on the current 4-acre footprint without encroaching into Taman Rimba Kiara.
In a joint statement, Save Taman Rimba Kiara Working Group, Persatuan Penduduk Rumah Panjang Bukit Kiara, and Friends of Bukit Kiara said the decision demonstrates the government’s commitment to protect green spaces and deliver permanent housing for the longhouse community.
They also lauded the government’s effort to honour the Federal Court’s ruling on April 18 last year, which quashed the DBKL's development order for Taman Rimba Kiara.
While delivering her judgement, Federal Court judge Justice Datuk Nallini Pathmanathan said according to the Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan 2020 (KLSP2020), the land alienated for development was demarcated as a green area for public use.
“It seems that the demarcation was changed without a corresponding rectification in the structure plan,” she said, adding that no hearings were held to gather objections and input from the public about the change in land status.
The saga began in 2016 when news broke that a development comprising eight blocks of serviced apartments and one block of affordable housing was planned for the area.
Legal battles ensued between residents with DBKL, Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan (YWP) and the developer, while a series of negotiations to find a compromise failed.
In 2017, TTDI residents filed a judicial review against DBKL and the mayor, seeking to quash the development order.
The High Court subsequently denied the request after concluding that no elements of illegality were found in the order’s issuance.
In December 2018, TTDI residents filed an appeal with the Court of Appeal to challenge the High Court’s decision.
The Court of Appeal overturned the High Court’s verdict in January 2021, effectively quashing the development order.
DBKL, YWP, and the developer then filed an appeal with the Federal Court to reinstate the order for the land to be developed.
