No new housing development at Taman Kelab Ukay for now, says MPAJ

The Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) has announced that there will be no new housing project development in Taman Kelab Ukay, Bukit Antarabangsa for the time being, as the planning permission issued to develop the area expired on Oct 13, last year. Dr Ani Ahmad, the president of MPAJ, stated that if the developer, Lembah Langat Development Sdn Bhd, wishes to proceed with the project, it will need to re-apply for planning permission in order to conduct a thorough study of all aspects of development in the hilly area. Ani added that the company would have to submit a development proposal to the Environmentally Sensitive Areas Development Technical Committee Meeting (JTPKSAS) and obtain approval from PlanMalaysia@Selangor for a Social Impact Assessment (SIA) report.

In the event that the development proposal meets all the required conditions, it will be reviewed by the MPAJ One-Stop Centre (OSC) before final approval is granted. However, as of now, the developer has not yet re-applied for planning permission. Ani’s remarks came in response to concerns raised by residents regarding the potential for landslides and other disasters if the housing project in the area were to proceed as planned.

According to a local newspaper report, the proposed development project includes the construction of 54 three-storey townhouses in the first phase, a three-storey apartment block comprising 84 units in the second phase, and two apartment blocks measuring 29 and 37 storeys respectively, totaling 610 units in the third and fourth phases.

Ani explained that the development proposal had already received approval from the JTPKSAS meeting on Sept 24, 2019, as well as the Social Impact Assessment Report (SIA) on Nov 5, 2019, and the OSC approval on Dec 23 of the same year. The planning permission was initially issued in 2020, covering a one-year period from Oct 14, 2020, to Oct 13, 2021, and was later extended for another year until Oct 13, 2022. However, no development work has commenced on the site as of Oct 7, 2022.”

Furthermore, Ani emphasized that the MPAJ does not issue approvals for development in sensitive areas such as slopes without prior approval from the JTPKSAS, which comprises various technical agencies including the Slope Engineering Branch, Public Works Department, Department of Irrigation and Drainage, and Department of Minerals and Geoscience. This committee thoroughly examines all aspects, including the soil and rock status of the area involved.

In another update, Ani announced that starting on Oct 1, MPAJ will use an integrated approval system to screen all received applications. This system will cover applications for premises business licenses, building renovation permits, expenses for maintenance costs in Industrial Park Management Committee (IPMC) areas, and the process of changing ownership of Forms I and J. The centralized review system will enhance the assessment tax collection as it enables a review of tax arrears prior to any final approval. The system will also be integrated with existing MPAJ systems, namely e-PBT and i-Comm, before the end of December.

– Bernama