In a statement, DBKL said the layout plan for the area, approved on Dec 18, 1986, had designated the site for kindergarten or daycare use, “in line with its long-planned function”.

City Hall was responding to a protest on Oct 19 by a group of residents living near the site, who cited concerns over potential traffic congestion and the conversion of residential land for commercial use.

Section 5 Wangsa Maju Residents’ Association chairman Sri Utami Dewi Kasman had urged Kuala Lumpur mayor Maimunah Sharif and federal territories minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa to cancel the project, saying a commercial development should not be allowed on land originally designated for residential purposes.

Utami Dewi said 150 residents living around the construction site had signed a petition calling for the project to be halted.

DBKL said the project’s approval had also been issued prior to the construction of houses in the area.

It said the proposal for the four-storey kindergarten received its first development order on Jan 26, 2007, and the latest amendment to the proposal was approved on June 12 this year.

“This approval is in line with the land zoning (outlined in the) Kuala Lumpur Local Plan 2040, which designated the site for kindergarten use.

“The residents were (previously) informed that the site had been designated for the future development of a kindergarten,” the DBKL statement said.

DBKL also said it always ensured that every approved development complied with set regulations and conditions, and urban planning guidelines.

“DBKL will continue to monitor the project’s implementation to ensure it is done properly and does not jeopardise the well-being and comfort of local residents,” it said.