BAYAN LEPAS: Residents of a condominium at Sungai Ara here are furious that the entranceway to their building is scheduled to be demolished and narrowed to make way for a new condominium development.
The building’s joint management committee (JMC) chairman K. Raj Kumar said that they were not informed or consulted on the matter, until last December.
He added that during a meeting for a hearing on the case at the Balik Pulau land office last month, they were suddenly told that there is nothing that can be done to stop the demolishment of their building’s entranceway, as the new project has been approved by local authorities.
“Usually, for such projects, there would be a road safety assessment or traffic impact assessment. But this proposal was made some time in August and was completed and approved by November.
“The following month, we were notified through our developer that the land at our entrance (had been acquired) and that part of it will become the entrance for the new condominium.
“There was no communication at all with us as the affected parties. We were left in the dark – and suddenly, hit with a bombshell. No consultation, no meeting whatsoever,” he said when met at the area, today.
In addition to the new development’s entrance, 800 condominium units and affordable homes will be built on the parcel of land next to their building.
It is learnt that a different route to the new condominium – on the other side of the parcel of land – was initially drafted by the developer, but residents of nearby terrace houses had objected to it.
Another JMC member, Dr PL. Narayanan, said that the planned narrowing of their condominium’s entranceway will pose a danger to residents who will have to make very sharp turns when driving into the development.
“Furthermore, the road leading to our building will be shared by both residents coming and going from the condominium, and the heavy vehicles involved in building the new project.
“Imagine having hundreds of vehicles entering and exiting the same small road. This is ridiculous and dangerous,” he said.
The residents are now calling for the developer and all parties involved in approving the project to hold discussions with them to find an amicable solution to the issue.