Owners want their say in Old Town development

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Mon, 08/04/2008 12:50 PM  |  City

Owners urged the administration to agree with plans to impose high rent on buildings and areas in Old Town, West Jakarta, for companies to shoot photos, film and video in the area.

Without financial support from the administration, the local community argued, companies should contribute directly to the maintenance costs of the area.

"The area is used for film making and other commercial activities almost every day, and they leave the area in a mess. Local people must then fork out their own rupiah to clean it up. There should be a pool of funds from these users to maintain the area," Ella Ubaidi, co-founder of Jakarta Old Town Kotaku, a non profit organization pushing for the revival of Old Town, said Friday at a meeting with building owners and the administration.

Ella said the money could go toward replacing lost road lights and other maintenance work.

There are 283 buildings listed within the old town heritage site and 15 vacant buildings situated on West Jakarta's Jl. Pintu Besar Utara through to Jl. Kalibesar.

The administration has forbidden owners of these building to reconstruct or change building designs, as it planned to make the area a cultural attraction.

However, it has yet to produce guidelines for owners to maintain or develop their buildings, many of which are deteriorating to the point where they are unsafe.

"We don't know what can be done with the buildings. What color can we use? What must be kept? Without clear and specific regulations and plans, we do not know what to promise our investors," said Robert Tambunan, director of Indonesia Trading Company which owns 22 buildings in the area.

Several owners have made extra income from a large number of production companies shooting photos or scenes for video clips and movies.

The head of the administration's Old Town management unit, Candrian Attahiyyat, said at one stage the History Museum charged Rp 8 million to use the museum and Fatahillah square for a film shoot.

Based on regulations, any party must pay a retribution fee of Rp 1 million (US$110) to use a public space in Jakarta for commercial or social purposes. Private business owners can set their own rates to use their property.

Teguh Utomo Atmoko, a lecturer at the Department of Architecture at the University of Indonesia, backed the demand for a greater role in managing Old Town, saying a similar government-community partnership had been formed and was running in Bali and overseas.

"The community can manage activities in the area while the government oversees the process and helps with technical arrangements. The funds can then be used for the development of these areas," he said.

Candrian promised to look into the plan with the community, adding that the government aimed to make the area a major tourist attractions.

"We may request owners use their ground floor for tourist-related businesses, like a caf*s, restaurants or museums," he said.

Jakarta administration has spent some Rp 50 billion so far revitalizing the area and plans to spend another Rp 20 billion this year. This money is being used for development and maintenance of public infrastructure and six buildings which belong to the regional administration.

Indeed, two months ago an old wall collapsed in the area and killed a man. In February, another building came down killing two passers-by.

Many abandoned buildings are home to scavengers, roadside food vendors and sex workers, all of whom are in constant danger of being buried alive. (mri)

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