Kota Damansara data center, Petaling Jaya, Selangor

The planning application for a business data center in Section 9, Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya, in Selangor, Malaysia, was withdrawn on July 28, 2026, after residents objected. Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) said the project's consultant, acting for the unnamed developer, withdrew it so the developer could re-evaluate the site's feasibility.

The Kota Damansara data center was to be two three-story blocks on 19 private lots and part of a government road reserve along Jalan Rimba Riang 9/6. The site is zoned for business and services and for transport under the Petaling Jaya Local Plan 2, and PlanMalaysia's 2024 guidelines require a 50-meter buffer between a data center and homes.

Residents found out from a notice board with wrong reference numbers and contact details and only a week to object. "The deadline for objection was stated as July 15. I quickly alerted a local residents' coalition and we submitted a written objection the same day," said Mohd Razif Mohd Lazim, who spotted the board on a morning walk. MBPJ ordered the errors fixed and extended the feedback period to July 27, and had received about 290 formal objections by July 21. Gabungan Penduduk Kota Damansara, a coalition of more than 500 households, raised noise, round-the-clock operation, heat, high energy use near the Kota Damansara community forest, traffic and the use of government road reserve, and asked for the shops in the original plan instead. Sungai Buloh MP R. Ramanan, Kota Damansara assemblyman Muhammad Izuan Ahmad Kasim and councillor Muhamad Shazwan Suhaimi also objected, citing non-conformity and a lack of early engagement. "It was particularly concerning that all the representatives publicly stated that they had not been informed of the proposed project," coalition spokesperson Narindera Pall Singh said.

Under the Town and Country Planning Act 1976, MBPJ has the authority to approve or reject such applications, and an aggrieved party can appeal to the Appeals Board. "The developer can still submit a fresh application in the future, as long as it complies with whatever is permitted under the local plan," outgoing Petaling Jaya mayor Mohamad Zahri Samingon said, adding that residents could again object. The coalition has asked the Selangor government and MBPJ to strengthen how the public is told about planned developments.