By Saturday morning, the banners could be seen hanging from the gates of residents’ houses and lamp posts along the narrow roads of Jalan Abdullah and other nearby streets.

When FMT paid a visit on a blazing Saturday afternoon, some residents were spotted hanging up the banners.

“We say NO to the 34-storey high-rise misfit in the historic heritage of Jalan Abdullah, Bangsar,” said one banner, which also showed an artist’s impression of the project.

Another banner raised alarm over the presence of a natural waterway in the area that had damaged some buildings and warned that the damage would only get worse when construction work begins on the apartment project.

Residents had unearthed the presence of the waterway back in 2012, which they say was later confirmed by the KL mineral and geoscience department in 2014.

This latest move by the residents follows the completion of demolition works on three plots of land where the apartment is proposed to be built.

Residents whose homes are immediately next to these plots of land have been approached by the developers to conduct dilapidation surveys on their premises, which is needed before a work permit can be issued.

While the lockdown brought temporary reprieve for several months, homeowners were again approached for the survey when restrictions were eased last month.

When contacted about the banners put up by residents, KL mayor Mahadi Che Ngah said he needed to get more information from his officers before he could comment on the matter.

Jalan Abdullah houses some of the oldest remaining residential properties in Bangsar, comprising mostly bungalows and semi-detached houses, most of which were built between 1929 and 1940.

In early 2019, the area had been redesignated from a “residential” to “major commercial” zone under the Kuala Lumpur City Plan 2020.

Residents have been protesting against a proposed 32-storey apartment project for more than a year, claiming they had not been consulted.

At a meeting between stakeholders on March 27, they were informed that the development was now a 34-storey, 180-unit serviced apartment.

But residents say the meeting had also decided that the project would not proceed until certain processes were completed by the developer, including a geotechnical report reevaluation, contacting the mineral and geoscience department, and conducting a traffic impact assessment (TIA) report.

“Residents are taken aback that the developer is attempting to proceed with the preliminaries of conducting the dilapidation survey when the results of the further requirements by DBKL after the March 27 meeting have not been made known.

“Preserving the Jalan Abdullah area as a traditional settlement will not only be a pride for KL but also a commendable achievement for DBKL, the mayor and federal territories minister,” said the residents in a statement shared with FMT.

Meanwhile, Save Kuala Lumpur chairman M Ali took DBKL to task for its failure to follow up with residents on the issue, saying they have yet to present the TIA report for the project.

He told FMT that the residents’ move to resort to banners was aimed at “awakening” the authorities, accusing DBKL of using the lockdown as an excuse to not address the issue.

“The mayor and present federal territories minister must intervene, justify and clarify the concerns encountered by the community,” he urged.