Two retailers, hotel face closure over permits

DENPASAR: The Denpasar administration has threatened to close down three properties - the Denpasar Junction Mall, Carrefour supermarket and a hotel - for zoning violations.

A.A. Rai Soryawan, head of the municipal licensing agency, said the mall had previously been constructed as a factory outlet store, and had only recently been renovated into a three-story mall, with a parking lot taking up the entire top floor.

Located in downtown Denpasar, the mall now stands more than 15 meters high, while local zoning regulations stipulate no building in Denpasar may be built more than 15 meters high.

Denpasar Junction mall, Soryawan said, was therefore currently operating in violation of regulations.

Similarly, the Carrefour supermarket on Jl. Gunung Agung faces closure because it lacks an operating permit. The French-based supermarket chain took over the local Alfa supermarket and occupied the old building.

Authorities also have a four-story hotel on Jl. Gatot Subroto in their crosshairs. The building was previously designated as an electronics store, but the owner later turned it into a hotel. - JP