They say there is too much development, seemingly unplanned, leading to massive traffic congestion and displacement of communities.

Architect Almaz Rahim, who has lived in the area since 1972, says there is also a “shocking” plot ratio of 1:10.

Such a plot ratio did not exist in the early days of Damansara Heights, still considered to be a suburban area, she said.

“This is the first time I’m hearing that developers are allowed a plot ratio of up to 1:10. This is the same plot ratio as the Kampung Baru development, but they are in the city centre.

“The city is encroaching upon us. Last time, there were only a few buildings, the rest were bungalow lots. Now they have become commercial and high density.”

Property development is getting out of hand, the residents say, swamping the basic needs of those who have lived there since the late 1960s. Now, they are faced with a proposal for the construction of an elevated highway from Bangsar to Damansara.

“Are all these really necessary?” Almaz said.

“The Jalan Batai shop lots were neighbourhood shops. When we were kids, we used to walk there and back to buy stationery and groceries. Residents like us, we have lived here for a long time. We just want to buy milk and bread, but everything has become so upmarket,” she added. “Now it is called Plaza Batai, and they charge for parking.”

Last week, Bukit Damansara and Bangsar residents objected to the approval granted by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) for the Bangsar-Damansara highway.

At a dialogue with Kuala Lumpur mayor Nor Hisham Ahmad Dahlan, they said the 1.34km three-lane dual-carriageway would only worsen traffic congestion.

The highway will run from Jalan Semantan to the SPRINT Highway at Jalan Maarof, shortening the journey from Bangsar to Pusat Bandar Damansara.

But Almaz said neighbourhoods have become divided by highways such as the road to Universiti Malaya, along with SPRINT Highway. “Our neighbours got isolated and they can’t cross over to the shops (at Medan Damansara) anymore,” she added.

Almaz, whose family has lived in the area for three generations, is also concerned about the loss of privacy caused by overdevelopment.

At the DC (Damansara City) Residensi project, “you can look into somebody’s offices and they can look into your house; on the other side you can look into a hotel and on one side the bungalows. To be living in such a cramped environment, is that a good thing?” she said.

At Aira Residence, comprising two 20-storey towers at the peak of Jalan Batai, “people who live in these two towers will be able to look into the bungalows beneath. Doesn’t this pose a security threat? When people start occupying the units, the Tan Sris and Datuk Seris who live in the bungalows will have their privacy invaded. We protested, but the development went on,” she said.

Parallel with overdevelopment is seemingly unplanned development such as the redundancy of the two Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations at Pusat Bandar Damansara and Semantan.

These were meant to take traffic off the road, but residents have no easy access to the stations.

“I’ve tried many ways to get there: either someone drives me, or I take a taxi or drive to Plaza Damansara and take the bus from there to the MRT station – too much of a hassle,” Almaz said.

She said the property development in the area should have been planned for people to use the MRT.

“This is what transit-oriented development is all about, so that you can reduce car ownership. But we are forever deviating from public transport. We do it for a few years, then we build more highways. This one is a classic case,” she said referring to the Bangsar-Damansara elevated highway.

John Koh, president of the Jalan Balau Residents’ Association, said that over time, the authorities had allowed developments which did not follow existing local plan rules.

“There was a proposal to build a 23-storey luxury residence at the back of Medan Damansara. The project was proposed on a hill slope, and at the bottom of the slope were the terrace houses. Where is your guideline?” he said.

“In any development, you should go and have a look at the area’s accessibility. Is it easy to find car parks? Are the ways going in and out very clear? It is not. It is very convoluted.”

Koh, an architect as well, said the presence of illegally parked vehicles and the lack of green open spaces were indications of a collapse in the planning system.

He gave Damansara Utama and Section 17 in Petaling Jaya as examples of areas where open spaces have become overrun.

“Let’s say, there are two zones. One commercial and one residential, and they are only divided by one road. There should be a setback distance, airspace, inner road and landscaping, but right now, there isn’t. That is where conflict occurs.

“In Damansara Utama, Starling Mall came up and took up the whole open space. Similarly with Section 17, the open space was overtaken by a mixed-use commercial development,” he said.

Koh questioned whether the authorities were enforcing development control through zoning plans. “All this is nothing new. They are age-old town planning considerations.

“Loss of open space, blurring between zones, lack of transitional areas and segregation of traffic between human and vehicles. We have city plans and local plans, but they need to be enforced.

He warned that in time to come, climate change would dictate how things go. “When the city is overbuilt, with pavements covered with concrete, the water will just flow into sheets and very quickly onto the roads. Why is it that whenever there is a downpour, traffic congestion is so bad? What is the cause of all this?”