Padel Court Project in Jatibening, Bekasi, Temporarily Halted After School Protests

BEKASI, KOMPAS.com — The Bekasi City Government has temporarily halted the construction of a padel court in the Jalan Caman area, Jatibening Village, Pondok Gede Sub-district. This followed objections from residents and Asshodriyah Islamic School (AIS), which is located directly in front of the construction site. Head of the City of Bekasi Spatial Planning Agency (Distaru) Arief Maulana said the decision was taken after discussions and mediation between the padel court operator and AIS. According to Arief, the temporary pause is to allow the operator and the school to resume discussions to seek solutions to a number of concerns raised by the school and parents. In terms of zoning, the spatial planning for the padel court is actually compliant with the applicable rules. “From a planning-permitting perspective, it is indeed in line because the zone is for services and trade,” Arief said. Nevertheless, Arief emphasised that the construction must continue to respect the surrounding environment, including the teaching and learning activities at the school. “The bottom line is that there must be mutual respect and protection of the environment so that everything can proceed as expected,” he said. According to Arief, during mediation conducted at Bekasi City Government, the school raised several concerns, ranging from noise, student safety, construction dust, to potential traffic congestion around the site. “Regarding safety, we will later seek accountability from the contractor and the supervising consultant who can explain everything,” he said. Meanwhile, Head of Building Supervision Unit VI Yanwar Rochman said the temporary halt will continue until an agreement is reached between the school and the padel operator. “For now, we from Distaru have halted the work until there is agreement between the school and the padel party,” Yanwar said. The controversy surrounding the construction is believed to have been triggered by a miscommunication in the socialisation process with local residents.