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amous ex-sugar mill complex Colomadu in Central Java’s Karanganyar will be turned into a cultural and entertainment complex with a convention center, shopping mall and hotel, according to a plan worth Rp 2 trillion (US$147.9 million).

Built by Mangkunegara IV in 1861, the factory became a symbol of the economic transformation from agriculture to industry, particularly during the heyday of the sugar business in the 1870s, until it ceased operations in 1997 due to shrinking sugarcane plantations.

Dubbed a piece of history dating back to the Dutch colonial era, Colomadu had been used twice in 2015 and 2016 by dance maestro Sardono W. Kusumo as a venue for his retrospective Fabriek Fikr, which was about the role of the sugar mill in the 19th-century industrialization in Java that helped the local economy flourish.

A consortium of six state-owned enterprises called PT Sinergi Colomadu has started working on the revitalization project, which is conducted in four stages. The first stage, which focuses on developing heritage tourism by establishing a sugar museum and an indoor art venue, is targeted to be completed by February next year.

State-owned plantation firm PT PTPN IX, as the owner of the land, is among the six state enterprises.

However, as the consortium begins work on the revitalization, Mangkunegara IX, the current ruler of Mangkunegaran Palace in neighboring Surakarta city, asked for the project to be stopped, since the palace has yet to give its nod.

“It doesn’t matter what the former sugar factory will be turned into; as the owner of the asset, Mangkunegaran has to be involved in it,” Mangkunegaran Asset Reversion Team (PAM) spokesperson Didik Wahyudiono said.

Citing the government’s certificate of ownership that recorded the site as a former land of Mangkunegaran, he said, the government acknowledged Mangkunegaran as the owner of the asset historically.

Didik also questioned the legal basis behind the transfer of ownership, saying that a map of Mangkunegaran assets still included Colomadu as one of its properties, just like Tasikmadu, another sugar mill, and other properties located in Surakarta, such as Balekambang Park and Manahan Stadium.

The team, he said, had sent official letters asking for clarification regarding the revitalization projects to PTPN IX, Karanganyar regent, the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry and President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.

“We are waiting for the government side to sit together with us. We are looking for a win-win solution,” Didik said.

Responding to Mangkunegaran’s protests, Karanganyar Regent Juliyatmono said that his side would help facilitate a meeting between Mangkunegaran, the PTPN IX and the local administration.

“We are looking for the right time to meet and clarify everything,” he said.

Sinergi Colomadu’s general manager of construction Edison Suardi, meanwhile, said that the first phase of the project would cost about Rp 180 billion.

“By February next year, people will already be able to come to see the sugar factory building after [the first phase of the] revitalization [is completed],” Edison said.

The second phase, according to Edison, would include the development of a convention hall with a capacity of 3,000 people, a shopping mall, a heritage gallery, gift shops, restaurants and a park.

Located not far from Adi Sumarmo Airport in Surakarta, Colomadu is believed by some to have the potential to grow into a business center, similar to the Solo Baru area on the border of Surakarta and Sukoharjo regencies.

“Although only the first phase will be finished by next year, the 11-hectare area will already be ready to host meetings and music concerts at an international caliber,” Juliyatmono said.