Completed but still waiting for approval 

NST 03/04/2001

Purchasers of about 550 units in two blocks of the Venice Hill Condominium blocks of the Venice Hill Condominium and Golf Resort in Ulu Langat, Selangor, are in a quandary as the project that was launched in the mid-90s and is virtually completed still has not obtained the required building plan approvals.

Venice Hill Residents Association (VHRA) assistant secretary The Chee Tong said official letters had been sent to the developer seeking clarification on the building plan approval for towers nine and 10, but no reply has been received to date.

The letter was sparked off by a recently reported High Court decision, which ruled that a buyer of a unit in Venice Hill could void his Sale and Purchase Agreement because the necessary permits and licences for development of towers nine and 10 in the project were not obtained.

The judgement by Datuk Dr R.K. Nathan followed an attempt by a financial institution to foreclose on a property after the borrower defaulted on instalment payments. The borrower claimed that since the agreement was illegal, the loan agreement, which was dependent on, was also illegal and void.

Venice Hill consists of 10 high-rise towers, all of which have been completed except for one that has yet to be handed over with utility connections.

Of the two towers without building plan approval. One was completed sometime in mid-1997 and is currently 25 per cent occupied, while completion of the other has been delayed by almost three years.

A spokesman from the Kajang Municipality Council said the council is prepared to legalise one block - tower nine - provided the developer, Venice Hill Resort Living Sdn. Bhd., a member of the Li-Foong Group of Companies, pays a fine of RM452,296.60 for not obtaining the necessary approvals.