Jln Kelang Lama may lose iconic wet market
Although traders and residents had asked for the 60-year-old wet market in Batu 4½ to be kept as a public amenity, the market's site on Lot 53683 has been zoned for commercial use instead, said Happy Garden and Continental Park Residents Association secretary Evelyne Low.
She said this could lead to the site being redeveloped, especially since the proposed MRT3 route was expected to pass through the area.
Under the KLLP2040, the site is listed as a Commercial Land Use Zone (Category C), with a plot ratio of 1:5, allowing buildings up to five times the size of the land to be built, including shops and offices.
Low said there must be engagement with stakeholders before any redevelopment of the market took place.
She pointed to a past case involving roadside hawkers from Jalan 1/128, off Jalan Riang 12 in Happy Garden, who were moved to a Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) building nearby.
'The building became a white elephant.
'It wasn't practical, the lots were too small and the layout didn't suit their needs.
'We are worried the same thing may happen here.
'We may end up with a market that doesn't serve anyone, just another waste of public funds,' she said.
Long-time resident Daniel Charles acknowledged that the market was old and needed a facelift.
'But any plans must retain the market and include proper infrastructure such as multi-storey parking and road widening.
'The presence of traffic police during morning and peak hours will also help ease congestion in the area,' he said.
A fishmonger, who wished to be known only as Chan, said he has been trading at the market for 25 years.
'We hope whatever plans DBKL has for this place will take our needs into account.'
In a statement to StarMetro, DBKL confirmed the market land was zoned for commercial use.
'However, no demolition has been announced for now, and to ensure the market remains operational, it has been listed for upgrades under the Lestari Niaga @ KL 2025 programme,' it said.
Lestari Niaga (sustainable business) is a government initiative aimed at upgrading and beautifying trading spaces for petty traders and hawkers in Kuala Lumpur.
Under the upgrade, DBKL will refurbish toilets, repaint walls and columns, carry out thorough cleaning and implement scheduled maintenance and repair works.
'This project is expected to begin in the middle of this month and will not involve any demolition of the market's structure at this stage.
'As such, there is currently no need to prepare a new trading site for existing traders.'
On future plans, DBKL said it will carry out a comprehensive study to determine the direction of the redevelopment, taking into account various aspects including the relocation site for traders during the transition period, commercial viability, future market needs over the next 10 years, project funding and implementation methods.
'Several inspections on the physical condition of the existing building were conducted and based on these assessments, redevelopment has been identified as the best option to ensure the market remains relevant and meets the current needs of city residents,' DBKL added.
In 2017, then mayor Tan Sri Mohd Amin Nordin Abd Aziz had confirmed plans to redevelop the site into a mixed-use development while retaining the market component, but nothing came of it.
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