Foreign language building names to be screened by DBKL

KUALA Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) will not approve all applications by building owners to have its name in foreign language.
Its Town Planning Department Director Datuk Sahrom Ujang said the applications would be considered and scrutinised by a committee involving buildings and commercial housing schemes, that was established in 2010, first before allowing it to be adopted.
"We will check and filter the names first, and not simply approve them.
"Besides that, we will also refer to the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) the meaning of the names in the respective foreign language before approving," he was quoted as saying by Utusan Malaysia.
Sahrom was asked to comment on a condominium building that was named as St. Petersburg in Jalan Ampang, here, which is seen by certain quarters as an act to glorify the foreign language on local soil.
He also denied that the policy to allow the use of a foreign language for a building's name was because DBKL did not uphold the national language.
Meanwhile, KL Mayor Datuk Seri Mhd. Amin Nordin Abdul Aziz said there was no issue for the city hall to allow the use of foreign language as long as it is not unlawful or bears a specific meaning.
"Our policy allows for it, there is no problem and they can apply as long as there are no meanings to the name. Names of a building in foreign languages can also be used similar to temples and schools," he said.
According to a spokesperson for Brunsfield Embassyview joint management board, the St. Petersburg building is one its three luxury condominium blocks, with the other two being St. Mary and St. Moritz.