Greenery is not lacking in Bukit Jelutong though more developments are to come.Bukit Jelutong,Shah Alam. KAT to work on Backyard Confidential story.
LOOKING through past stories written for this column, I found myself thinking about my old neighbourhood. It was a quiet neighbourhood with a large community park close by and a relaxing beach, about five minutes’ drive away from my home.
But that was Kuantan, and now I live in Shah Alam, where many townships have grown over the years, giving Klang Valley residents, and also expats, a sanctuary away from the bustle of other parts of the Klang Valley.
Among the townships here are Kota Kemuning, Setia Alam, Denai Alam and Bukit Jelutong.
One argument when it comes to living so far away is the lack of entertainment and variety in food.
This I have to agree but so many highways link these townships to places such as Subang Jaya, Klang and even Damansara, that this is not a problem.
By my calculations, Bukit Jelutong, without traffic, is less than half an hour away from these places.
In a recent interview with developers on the development of Shah Alam byStarMetro, they were asked about its liveability.
Sime Darby Property senior vice-president Mohd Salem Kailany was quoted as saying that the idea of liveability was different to everyone.
“If you talk about the best of both worlds, there are shortcomings in Shah Alam but from the aspect where you value things such as jogging tracks, cycle paths, greenery and lakes, those are things you get in this city,” he said.
He added that the city had a lot of positive things that were not available elsewhere and it had its own identity that was unique and what residents were proud of.
Bukit Jelutong is one township that is still growing today.
Back in 2005, when I first came to know this place, it was extremely quiet; not many lived here and many houses and commercial areas were still being built.
Today, it is home to many families, welcomed three commercial areas, and soon, mixed development projects of residential and commercial units.
It’s the calming effect with no need for rushing, that draws families to townships like this.
Everything is peaceful, and most of your necessities are a walk or a drive away.
One thing residents don’t have to drive out for is to eat at mamak or fast food restaurants, visit the clinic, pamper themselves with a haircut or a nail spa, go for tuition or music classes and grocery shopping.
Keeping fit is not difficult here when you can walk to the nearest store, or use the facilities provided.
In the morning, you see a number of residents doing tai chi in the basketball court, which lies in the middle of a large field.
Youngsters can be seen playing basketball in the morning and sometimes at night, the resident football team practises and has games at the fenced-up portion of the field.
Years ago, there would be carnivals in this very large space but there hasn’t been one in awhile.
At Jelutong plaza, there’s also a gym.
In housing areas, there are mini fields and playgrounds for young ones to enjoy during the evenings.
There’s also the Bukit Jelutong Golf and Country Club where during the weekend, you can catch fathers teaching their children the sport.
I visited the place one hazy morning and realised that despite the conditions, many golfers still took time to sharpen their putting skills at the driving range.
As you drive in from the Jelutong toll plaza, you will come into view of lush greenery from both sides of the road into Bukit Jelutong.
As you move closer to the first roundabout, you will catch sight of the three-year-old grand Masjid Tengku Ampuan Jemaah, named after the Sultan of Selangor’s late grandmother.
It was the royal family that chose this township to build this mosque, which can accommodate 4,000 worshippers, and with design based on traditional Middle Eastern Islamic architecture.
Right next to this is a ship-like building, which also houses the golf course.
I was once told it used to be a management office but when visiting it recently, the place is now a teaching ground for the Malaysia Institute for Supply Chain Innovation that was launched as a joint initiative between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Malaysian Government in 2011.
The township has its very own community shopping centre called Space U8.
Some may be excited by the prospect of having a hangout spot for food, movies and shopping without having to drive a distance but even though its been years since it was opened, the mall has yet to amaze.
The mall in the industrial area of the township not only lacks interesting outlets, it is mostly empty on weekends and is only busy with little flea markets or a sale by one of the stores.
I don’t recall any friend of mine who live here talking about the mall or even suggesting a meet-up there.
Although it has a cinema, only a limited number of movies are shown, a reason why some would rather drive out to Kuala Lumpur or Petaling Jaya catch a movie.
It’s a shame more isn’t done with this place to attract residents of different races, it is after all spacious with lots of natural light shining through during the day and is well ventilated, without having the need for air-conditioners.
To beat out arguments that there is not much to look forward to in Shah Alam, better planning is needed in townships like this.
Otherwise, there will be too many empty shoplots, as is the case now in Bukit Jelutong, or even houses because the supply is greater than the demand.
Hopefully when the mixed-developments are completed, more interesting tenants will take up shop and Bukit Jelutong residents will have better places to socialise and spend their time, closer to home rather than drive out a distance.
