Why was the Taman Rimba Kiara development project initially approved despite existing city plans?

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The Taman Rimba Kiara Development Was Approved Despite City Plans Due to DBKL's Discretionary Actions and Amendments to Planning Documents

The Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) approved the Taman Rimba Kiara (TRK) development project, which involved constructing luxury condominiums and affordable housing on a portion of the 25-acre park, by exercising discretionary powers that ultimately bypassed existing city plans. While the Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan 2020, gazetted in 2004, designated the 12-acre project site as a green space for public use, a later version of the Kuala Lumpur City Plan 2020, gazetted in 2018, reclassified half of TRK as a "mixed development" zone. The Federal Court found that DBKL had wrongly and illegally exercised its discretion under the Federal Territory (Planning) Act of 1982 when it approved the project, ignoring the earlier master plan.
DBKL Ignored Existing Master Plans for Kuala Lumpur

The Federal Court's decision in April 2023 highlighted that DBKL had failed to adhere to the provisions of the Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan and the Draft Local Plan when issuing the development order (DO) for the TRK project. The Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan 2020, established in 2004, clearly marked Taman Rimba Kiara as a green space intended for public use. The court determined that the mayor had unlawfully exercised his discretion by approving the apartment project despite this existing master plan.
City Plans Were Amended to Accommodate Development

A significant factor in the approval process was the amendment of planning documents. While the 2008 Draft Kuala Lumpur City Plan 2020 still identified the project site as a public park and green open space, the version of the Kuala Lumpur City Plan 2020 that was gazetted in 2018 altered this designation. This 2018 gazetted version marked half of TRK, the area intended for development, as a "mixed development" zone, thereby deviating from previous classifications and potentially creating a basis for the project's approval.
Objections Were Overlooked Amidst Discretionary Approval

Despite strong objections raised by TTDI residents, DBKL proceeded with approving the luxury condominium project in 2017. The residents had argued that the development threatened the park's integrity and their quality of life. Their subsequent lawsuit in August 2017 sought to cancel the development order and compel DBKL to adopt and gazette its city plan, which recognized the 12-acre site as a public park. The Federal Court's ruling indicated that DBKL's actions, in granting the approval despite these objections and the existing plans, constituted an improper exercise of discretionary power.

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Why was the Taman Rimba Kiara development project initially approved despite existing city plans?

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