Tanah Abang project to model itself on HK plan
Tanah Abang project to model itself on HK plan
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
In an effort to integrate Tanah Abang's new business district
with its old market, Governor Sutiyoso ordered officials of city-
run developer PD Pembangungan Sarana Jaya to compare their
project with an existing one in Hong Kong.
"I told the officials to visit Hong Kong to learn about the
similar project there, so that they can adopt it for the (Tanah
Abang) plan," he said on Friday.
Sutiyoso wanted the project to accommodate a wholesale market,
a trade center, office buildings, three-star hotels and low-cost
apartments in a vast complex.
"Tanah Abang market has a high economic value. We want to
rearrange the area in accordance with Jakarta's needs as a
metropolitan city, away from the messy, congested market we have
today," he said.
Famous as the largest textile market in Southeast Asia, Tanah
Abang is also notorious for its poor and crowded access as well
as its gangs of thugs.
The city's Rp 6 trillion (US$710 million) Sentra Primer Kota
(urban primary center) project will convert a 12-hectare
residential area, which is currently inhabited by 2,000 families
in six community units, into a business complex stretching from
the textile market to the railway station. The construction is
expected to finish in five years.
Despite giving approval to the project, Sutiyoso emphasized
there were still "some principal requirements" that needed to be
fulfilled by the developer.
"They must offer parts of the project to the locals, whose
plots of land or houses will be taken. The developer must also
ensure these people earn a better livelihood in the new complex,"
he said.
PD Pembangunan Sarana Jaya president Tebyan A'maari said on
Thursday his company would compensate the residents for their
land and buildings by giving them property shares in the project.
"However, we have not decided on the technicalities of how to
assess their asset value," he said.
Although some investors have submitted development proposals,
Sutiyoso has asked the developer to "look for other strategic
partners".
The project, which was first introduced in 1998, has been
delayed due to strong opposition from locals and experts, who
have said it would hurt the mostly small and medium-sized
businesses in the area.
The city administration is currently renovating Tanah Abang's
block A, which was destroyed in a fire on Feb. 19, 2003,
transforming it into a luxury shopping mall. The Rp 400 million
renovation will have 16 floors above ground and three below and
is scheduled to finish next year.