Jl. Thamrin beautification plan open to adjustment

Jl. Thamrin beautification plan open to adjustment

JAKARTA (JP): The plan to tear down fences and widen sidewalks
along Jl. M.H. Thamrin to make the street "friendlier" is open to
adjustment based on the situation at each building, according to
a city official.

The head of City's Park Agency, Syamsir Alam, said yesterday
that the municipality's design, presented to building owners in
June, was not yet set in concrete.

"Several adjustments to the plan are possible as long as it is
not too far from the initial concept," said Syamsir, a Thamrin
project executive, before the closing ceremony of a flora and
fauna exhibition at Lapangan Banteng square in Central Jakarta.

He said that the municipality had thus far received eight
written requests from building owners who demanded to review the
plan.

"The owners did not oppose the plan. Their requests are just
due to misunderstandings.

"Maybe the owners did not fully understand that the plan would
not only benefit the public, but also their buildings."

He said that Wisma Kosgoro and Sarinah were among those which
had requested changes. "I don't remember the rest," Syamsir said.

Sari Pan Pacific Hotel's communications director, Satria Wira,
told The Jakarta Post late last week that building owners had
requested the municipality review the plan, which would affect 20
high-rise buildings, excluding embassies, along the 1.65
kilometer long Jl. M.H. Thamrin, one of the city's main roads.

He said that the owners were not against the municipality's
plan.

"We just want adjustments to the plan based on the condition
of each building," Satria said.

He said that among the owners who wanted to review were those
of the Sari Pan Pacific Hotel, Bank Jaya, BPPT and Skyline
buildings.

Under the administration's plan, called the Thamrin Walk, the
fences between high-rise buildings and the sidewalks would be
torn down to widen the sidewalks and create a friendlier
atmosphere for pedestrians.

The sidewalks are to be expanded to between seven and eight
meters wide.

Syamsir said that the municipality did not blame building
owners for their misunderstanding, which could be the result of
not attending the municipality's presentation at the Sari Pan
Pacific hotel in June.

"Maybe the owners only sent one of their staff to the meeting,
and after the presentation, the employees did not give detailed
information to their superiors," Syamsir said.

He urged building owners to send their correct representatives
to discuss the plan with city officials in several meetings to be
held soon.

"By attending the meetings, the owners will have detailed
information and also be able to propose ideas for necessary
adjustments," Syamsir said.

For instance, he said, the plan to widen sidewalks by seven to
eight meters would be applied based on the situation at each
buildings.

"There's a need to hold dialogs between the municipality and
building owners to prevent misunderstanding and to provide owners
with more information about the plan," Syamsir said.

The dialogs, he said, would also help make the owners
understand that the plan was very important to make the city
friendlier, especially for pedestrians.

Central Jakarta Mayor Abdul Kahfi said in July that the plan
had received a positive response from the building owners.
However, he said it was unlikely that the plan, initially
scheduled to commence in October, would begin due to difficulties
in getting suitable fences.

In the plan, the administration has budgeted to spend about Rp
13.2 billion (about US$4.98 million), while the 20 building
owners will contribute another Rp 8.5 billion. (ste)