Government Plans to Redesign the GBK Senayan Complex

Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi has revealed the government’s plan to overhaul and redesign the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Complex in Senayan, Jakarta. “So, we actually want to redesign the entire GBK, especially the sports and commercial areas,” Pras said at the Presidential Palace Complex in Jakarta on Monday (20/7). Pras conveyed that the government intends to provide a complete range of facilities within the GBK complex, from commercial amenities to a hotel. “We will integrate it with the JCC, the Jakarta Convention Center. We want something more modern, including sports facilities,” he stated. Pras is targeting GBK to become a venue for hosting international sporting events, not limited to just football. He cited aquatic sports and tennis as examples. Pras noted that there are requirements that must be met to achieve the goal of hosting international events. “The hope is that in the future this will become The New Icon of Jakarta,” he said. Pras stated that as a consequence of the redevelopment plan, the government has terminated several contracts that had not yet been executed. He said the government is currently finalising the new design for the GBK complex. Additionally, the government is continuing to explore potential investors to fund the construction of the GBK complex. “There are foreign investors and domestic ones. Domestically, we now have Danantara, a state-owned enterprise. The leading sector might be our friends at InJourney,” he remarked. The GBK area is located in the same district as the Indonesian parliament complex in Gelora sub-district, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta. The GBK complex was originally built under the first President Sukarno as the main venue for the 1962 Asian Games. It was designed as a symbol of the nation’s grandeur and resurgence. Since then, the area has continuously developed, undergone renovations, and added sports facilities. One significant renovation occurred ahead of the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia, where the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium was refurbished. Most recently, the state took over the Hotel Sultan area within the complex after it had been controlled by a private entity under a Right to Build scheme for nearly half a century.