KUALA LUMPUR — Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has established a 300-metre buffer zone for a proposed development opposite Taman Persekutuan Bukit Kiara recreational park, following complaints from residents in Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI).
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh said the move considers the potential effects on both local communities and biodiversity, local media reported.
“I am very aware of how important parks are, not just for those living in Bukit Kiara, but for everyone in Kuala Lumpur. Kuala Lumpur is a city, and its people need green spaces for recreational activities and to de-stress,” she said, as quoted by The Star.
Yeoh spoke to reporters after an event at the park on Saturday, organised by local non-profit Friends of Bukit Dinding (FoBK), which was attended by Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Fadlun Mak Ujud and FoBK president Leon Koay. She emphasised that no development order has been issued and that discussions with the developer remain ongoing.
The decision comes amid opposition from TTDI residents over plans for two 30-storey condominiums on a 3.42-hectare site. The project is currently undergoing an environmental impact assessment as part of its approval process.
Residents have expressed concerns that the construction could disturb the park’s ecosystem and increase traffic along Changkat Abang Haji Openg, Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad, and Jalan Datuk Sulaiman. On April 12, they launched a petition calling for the buffer zone to be extended to 300–500 metres, compared with a 50-metre guideline previously set by the National Landscape Department (JLN), which manages the park.
FoBK filed a judicial review last August seeking to halt DBKL from granting approvals for the project. The Kuala Lumpur High Court granted leave in September.
The issue has gained renewed attention following a mudslide near Bukit Kiara on April 18, 2026, raising questions about hillside development and enforcement of existing safeguards. Khairudin Rahim, spokesperson for the TTDI Residents Association, said Kuala Lumpur has robust policies governing construction on slopes and sensitive land but noted enforcement is inconsistent.
“We have all the checks and balances on paper. Every single means of ensuring balanced developments, care for the environment, it’s all there,” he said during the Scoop Insight podcast. “Yet recurring incidents stem from exceptions made, whether overtly or covertly, that result in repeated failures.”
Khairudin criticised authorities’ tendency to attribute disasters solely to weather rather than poor planning. “The drainage was never meant, when it was built 30 years ago, for fivefold increase in population, and 20 other blocks of concrete happening. But the drains are the same,” he said.
Friends of Bukit Kiara vice-president Tan Boon Hua said Kuala Lumpur’s problems are magnified by urban density and rapid population growth. He pointed to widespread judicial reviews challenging the Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan and City Plan as evidence of public unease over development decisions.
“The mudslide at Jalan Abang Haji Openg highlights the need for stronger governance, stricter accountability, and a sustained commitment to protecting communities and the environment amid Kuala Lumpur’s rapid growth,” he added. - May 2, 2026
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