KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 — Over 200 residents of Bukit Damansara rallied today to oppose what they described as “monstrous” new developments in their neighbourhood, calling on Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to produce detailed traffic and planning reports before approving further projects.
Former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin, speaking as a long-time resident, questioned whether DBKL had carried out a traffic study on Jalan Semantan, the main road that is already heavily congested.
“For comparison, the Petronas Twin Towers are 88 storeys. The new developments would be almost as tall. Can you imagine the pressure on Jalan Semantan, already a choke point for traffic?
“I want to ask DBKL directly, has a traffic study been done on Jalan Semantan to justify the plot ratio given to BRDB Developments Sdn Bhd (BRDB)? Has BRDB submitted a traffic impact report? How much more can this road take?” he said during the ‘Say No to Skyscrapers” peaceful rally here, today.
He also noted that the Sprint Highway already cuts through Bukit Damansara, stressing that the protest is not only about protecting the neighbourhood but also about the thousands of commuters who depend on the road daily to travel between Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya.
While acknowledging the need for modernisation, he said Bukit Damansara’s suburban character must be preserved.
“The last thing we want is for Jalan Semantan to become another KLCC. We did not move here to live in the city centre.
“We are not against development or modernisation, but it must be reasonable. If developers want to squeeze every last cent out of every square foot without considering the community, then that is unacceptable,” he said.
Agreeing with Khairy, Bukit Damansara House Owners’ Association president Datuk Ahmad Sufian Abdul Majid also voiced frustration over the scale of proposed projects, warning that approvals appeared to push the limits of what the area could reasonably sustain.
He also urged DBKL to revisit the planning approvals, saying residents were not opposed to growth but wanted developments that matched the capacity of the neighbourhood.
While new cafés, refurbished shop lots and smaller projects were welcomed, he argued that massive, high-rise schemes would overwhelm local infrastructure.
“We also enjoy new amenities, the cafés, the restoration of older buildings but what we are against are monstrous projects like this.
“If projects of this scale go ahead, Jalan Semantan will be choked with traffic the moment you drive out of your house. It’s simply unworkable,” he said.
Prominent figures, including former Malaysian Bar president Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, singer Datuk Sheila Majid and banker Datuk Nazir Razak were also seen at the rally.
The rally began at 9.30am, with the crowd gradually dispersing by around 11am as the weather grew hotter.
By 10.30am, the heat was noticeable, but residents remained gathered, holding banners that read “No to Skyscrapers”, “Green Over Grey” and “Save Bukit Damansara”, among others.
The residents called for the rally after DBKL announced the development under Rule 3 on August 1, 2025.
It is understood that the project proposes a plot ratio of 1:9.6, far exceeding the 1:6 limit in the Kuala Lumpur Local Plan (KLLP) 2040, which was only gazetted in mid-June 2025, six weeks earlier.
