Jakarta Padel Court Permits Under Scrutiny as Municipal Agency's Oversight Found Lacking

JAKARTA – A member of the Jakarta Regional Parliament (DPRD) from the PSI faction, August Hamonangan, has criticised padel court permits granted by the Jakarta Municipal Public Works, Urban Planning, and Land Agency (Citata), which are considered to have sparked public controversy.

He stated that the ease of permitting through the Online Single Submission (OSS) system is prone to problems because it is not always accompanied by field verification.

“Particularly if the easily obtained permit is not re-verified by Citata, which should inspect the site directly to determine whether the location is suitable for building a padel court,” August said in a written statement on Monday, 2 March 2026.

“We have already warned that whilst these easements will facilitate padel business operators, they are vulnerable to causing disruption amongst the community,” August added.

During monthly meetings, the Regional Revenue Agency (Bapemda) reportedly emphasised that padel courts represent a source of revenue for Jakarta, leading to simplified permitting. However, field supervision was barely carried out.

“When permitting ease is granted carelessly, negligence occurs, putting us in the position we are in now. The Provincial Government’s oversight gap in regulating padel courts has disturbed residents and now created issues around the sport itself,” August stated.

He cited the rejection by residents in the Lenteng Agung area of a nightlife venue deemed incompatible with community norms as an example.

“This is not merely about padel courts. The Jakarta Provincial Government must be more sensitive and discerning when issuing business building permits,” he said.

He added that communities, neighbourhood associations (RT/RW), and village administrations need to be involved to ensure residents’ interests are not overlooked.

“Investment and business are indeed important. However, we must not let this compromise and ultimately disrupt residents’ comfort,” he concluded.

The Jakarta Regional Parliament’s warning comes amid a series of controversies surrounding padel courts in various areas. In Cilandak, the Fourthwall padel court on Jalan Haji Nawi was protested by residents due to noise complaints. Following mediation, the operator closed operations temporarily for 30 days from 21 February 2026 and promised to install soundproofing.