Bandung government endorses 'Braga City Walk' project

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung

The Bandung municipal government has welcomed a proposal by a local developer to build a hotel and mall on Jl. Braga, saying that the project could bring the historic street back to live.

Tjetje Subrata, the head of the Bandung municipal government's Planning and Development Board (Bappeda), supported the proposal as Jl. Braga had been losing business for the last five years, something reflected in the closure of a large number of shops and restaurants along the street.

"We need to improve this area by building a hotel or a shopping mall so as to bring the place back to life once again," Tjetje said.

Based on data from the Bandung Public Works Office, there are 78 buildings on Jl. Braga that are still being used as shops, cafes, offices, pubs and pharmacies. The businesses in more than 51 buildings have closed down and these buildings are now being used for residential purposes. However, many other buildings have simply been abandoned by their owners, with local people more interested in visiting popular malls in other parts of the city, including Bandung Indah Plaza (BIP).

"If Jl. Braga is not immediately saved, it will become nothing more than history, only remembered by the old people," he said.

According to the developer's plan, an 18-story hotel, an apartment complex and a mall would be built about 50 meters set back from the street. The developer has also promised to provide wide sidewalks for pedestrians along Jl. Braga in a development to be known as "Braga City Walk."

Bandung Mayor Dada Rosada has verbally approved the project. Both officials expressed confidence that the construction of the mall, apartment complex and hotel, and the "Braga City Walk" project, did not violate Bylaw No. 2/2004, which prohibits the construction of hotels, apartments and malls in the heart of the city.

"The Braga area has been zoned for commercial purposes. Moreover, the proposed hotel and mall would not be built right next to the road but will be set back by about 50 meters. So, there's no problem," Tjetje asserted.

Tjen Ruddy Chandra, the president director of Bangun Mitra Mandiri -- the developer of the project, said that the hotel, apartment complex and mall would occupy an area of 40,000 square meters. He also said on Saturday that the company had invested Rp 300 billion (US$35 million) in the project, which would be completed in the end of 2005.

Some 700 meters long, Jl. Braga was laid out in 1904 and was the commercial center of the city during the Dutch colonial era. Several noted companies and shops had their offices on the street, including Fuchs & Rens, the assembler of Mercedes vehicles in the Netherlands Indies, and Abundatia florists, which supplied flowers to the governor general's palace in Batavia, now Jakarta.

Separately, some Bandung people said they were opposed to the plan, saying it would only aggravate traffic congestion in Bandung.

"There are already many malls in Bandung. Another mall will only make the jams worse," Dadang, a resident of Cijerah, was quoted as saying by Antara.