A showdown is expected between property owners and the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) over the latter's insistence in building a multi-storey carpark in the area.

At a press conference called by the pro tem Owner's Association of Ampang Point yesterday, the group said the five-storey 300-lot carpark which include commercial kiosks and a gym, would 'destroy' the robust business area.

At least half of the roughly 60 commercial lot owners are expected to send individual protest letters today, one day ahead of the deadline for submitting objections to the project to MPAJ Appeals Committee.

"Yes, we acknowledge that there is a traffic problem in Ampang Point, but the proposed carpark would not solve anything," said committee member and lawyer M Mahendran, who said an injunction would be sought if their protest is unheeded.

The new carpark is to be built on the existing open air carpark which has about 100 lots, but would turn roads around the existing carpark into a 40-feet wide pedestrian mall.

'White elephant'

This, explains committee member Iskandar Abdullah, would spell doom for the numerous food and beverages outlets dotting the area as loading trucks and waste collection vehicles would be cut off from the premises.

As for the carpark itself, the committee believes that examples of multi-storey carpark in Pandan Indah, Ampang and Taipan, Subang Jaya showed that motorists still preferred to double park instead of paying premium parking rates at such facilities.

"We believe that the carpark would end up as nothing more than a white elephant," stressed Iskandar, adding that at present, most private parking lots in the area were mostly more than half empty.

The committee also argued that the land which the proposed carpark was to be built was gazetted as a carpark, and the inclusion of a carpark-cum-commercial complex would be illegal.

The proposed RM20million multi-storey carpark would be constructed by a private company which is under a 30-year 'build, manage then give back' arrangement with MPAJ.