Bangsar South (
Malay: ''Bangsar Selatan'') is an integrated property development project which sits on the former Kampung Kerinchi site in
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
,
Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
. It is renamed of Kampung Kerinchi from the developer to upscale the value of land. The development was undertaken by
UOA Group, which acquired the land once known as south of bangsar back in 2005. The site is located near
Menara Telekom and the
Mid Valley Megamall
Mid Valley Megamall is a shopping mall in Mid Valley City, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It sits at the entrance of Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur. Developed by IGB Berhad, the complex was opened in 1999. The mall has garnered media attention with even ...
. Other notable landmarks in the vicinity are the
Angkasapuri building and the
University of Malaya
The Universiti Malaya (lit 'University of Malaya'; abbreviated UM) is a public university, public research university located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the oldest Malaysian institution of higher education, and was the only university in ...
. Existing residential projects in the immediate vicinity consist of affordable apartments and flats such as Vista Angkasa apartments, Kampung Kerinchi and Sri Angkasa flats. The Kampung Kerinchi project features several moder
office towersmid to high-end condominiums as well as retail and commercial spaces.
In 2007, prior to construction, the developer carried out upgrading and landscaping works in Kampung Kerinchi, including the widening of the main access road and new pedestrian walkways, in attempts to rejuvenate and enhance the area dubbed as "unattractive".
Healthcare
The LifeCare Diagnostic Medical Centre was opened in mid-2012. The
University Malaya Medical Centre is nearby.
Public transportation
The development is connected to the
Kerinchi LRT station via a pedestrian bridge, and the
Universiti LRT station on the
Kelana Jaya Line.
Shopping
KL Gateway MallNexusThe SphereThe VerticalThe Horizon
Name change issue
The name of Bangsar South has been an issue of controversy in light of the
2018 Malaysian general election
General elections were held in Malaysia on Wednesday, 9 May 2018. At stake were all 222 seats in the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of parliament. The 13th Parliament was dissolved by Prime Minister Najib Razak on 7 April 2018. It would have be ...
.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat
Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR; ), is a centre-left, reformist political party in Malaysia formed on 3 August 2003 through a merger of the party's predecessor, the National Justice Party, with the socialist Malaysian People's Party. The party's ...
politician
Fahmi Fadzil, who was in the running for the Lembah Pantai parliamentary seat in which the area was included in, used the name change in his election campaign to distinguish Bangsar South and Kampung Kerinchi residents. As Kampung Kerinchi is the original name, used by Indonesian immigrants during British Malaya, he argues that the name should not be changed,
which caused stirred discussion on social media. Bangsar South used to be known as Kampung Kerinchi until the name was changed by the
Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur in 2012 to reflect its upgraded image.
Kampung Kerinchi name supporters, who consisted mainly of long-time settlers in the area, argued that the name change has been made directly by DBKL and politician in fast track without formal consultation or cooling period from neither new Bangsar South residents and old Kampung Kerinchi residents, and that the name should be kept for the sake of nostalgia. On the other hand, Bangsar South name supporters; mostly property investors and new owners o
Bangsar South property expressed dismay due to potential loss of investment in the area, as the name change to "Bangsar South" was part of the successful re-branding that has attract investors.
Others argued that while the name change is encouraged, there are issues such as rising gentrification in the area that needs to be solved first.
After the general elections, MP
Fahmi Fadzil who won the seat for Lembah Pantai, worked with DBKL to rename the area Bangsar South and the surrounding area as "Kampung Kerinchi". He has since clarified that this was caused due to a confusion that Bangsar South occupied a larger area, and was re-defined to only refer to the commercial development in the area.
References
External links
Official siteUnofficial site
{{Greater Kuala Lumpur
Suburbs in Kuala Lumpur