Housing Minister Requests Bali Governor Urgently Establish Residential Zoning Areas
Indonesia’s Housing and Settlement Area Minister Maruarar Sirait, known as Ara, has requested that Bali Governor Wayan Koster promptly map out clearly which areas are permitted for residential development in Bali. The minister stressed that zoning certainty is vital to prevent developers from speculating on land purchases that may subsequently be restricted for housing construction.
Sirait made the request whilst addressing residential developers at a Housing Ecosystem Strengthening Programme Socialisation event held at the Art Center in Denpasar on Monday (16 March 2026).
“I recommend to the Governor, for example in the Buleleng district, to establish clear zoning in accordance with regulations from the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning (ATR/BPN), district and provincial government regulations. You simply determine where housing can be built in Buleleng,” said Ara.
He noted that establishing such zoning would provide certainty for developers when purchasing land for residential development.
With clear zoning in place, developers would not need to speculate on purchasing land with uncertain status that might later be prohibited.
“So developers can buy land in designated areas, preventing them from speculating on land with unclear status and then being banned later,” Ara explained.
Sirait also requested that the mapping be conducted in detail so that spatial planning in Bali becomes better organised. He recommended that maps showing areas permitted for residential development be publicly released through official government websites.
“I am confident the Governor is an intelligent and experienced individual, my senior, so simply make it clear where housing can be built in Buleleng, where commercial areas are, where tourism development is,” he said.
With such zoning maps in place, developers would no longer make errors in determining construction locations. Should violations still occur, the responsible developers would be at fault for not adhering to established provisions.
“But if they are not informed, that would also be unfortunate,” Ara concluded.