Novel solution seen for greenbelt construction

JAKARTA (JP): The legal problems faced by owners of buildings built illegally in the capital's greenbelt area can be settled with special conditions, a city councilor said.

Ali Wongso Sinaga of Commission D for development affairs said on Monday that such violations could be resolved by providing one or two stories in each building for sporting or recreational activities.

"The greenbelt area also allows for such activities. It's too much to demolish those buildings at the moment," the councilor said.

The disputed buildings include Senayan Plaza, Hotel Hilton International, Hotel Atlet Century Park, Park Royale Apartments, Hotel Mulia Senayan, and other commercial buildings and banks built in the Senayan area in Central Jakarta.

"Hotel Hilton International and Hotel Mulia Senayan should, for example, dedicate two or three floors for an athletic center, which could be financed by money the managements earned from renting their hotel rooms," councilor Ali said.

"Senayan Plaza, for instance, could have not just a few shops, but a full floor to sell sporting goods," he suggested.

However, he did not offer any suggestions for what should be done about the city and central government officials who did nothing in the past to stop the construction of the buildings.

Ali said that the problem was that building permits (IMB) were issued before the developers paid the penalties.

"The only way out now is to follow suggestions stipulated in a bylaw on city planning endorsed recently."

The bylaw endorsed last week by the city council, to be effective through 2010, allows for owners of the disputed buildings to "do some good to the damage already done". (ylt)