Tangerang tough on converted housed

Tangerang tough on converted housed

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

"It is prohibited to convert residences into commercial
premises." The warning signs placed by the Tangerang regental
administration along the main road of Bintaro housing estate in
Pondok Aren district were all new, but not the prohibition.

Although Bylaw No. 7/2000 on building permits that outlaws the
conversion of a building was enacted five years ago, many Bintaro
residents claimed they were not aware of it before they turned
their houses into business premises.

It is a common sight along the main road stretching from
sector I to sector IX to see houses that have been transformed
into restaurants, mini markets, laundromats, building material
stores, drug stores, bakeries, travel agents and even consultant
offices.

Budi Wijaya, 45, who used part of the house to build a seafood
restaurant in 2003, claimed that he had no knowledge about the
regulation until he read the warning signs.

"My business is running well, but I was never told that it is
prohibited to use the house for commercial purposes," he told The
Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

"I don't have enough money to rent a place in the business
district ... I will probably have to close the restaurant," he
said, adding that the restaurant was the source of income for the
family, 10 restaurant workers and one parking attendant.

As the houses along the main road Jl. Bintaro Utama do not
have enough parking space for customers, cars were seen parking
on both sides of road and caused traffic congestion as they
claimed half of the eight-meter wide road.

Head of the Tangerang Building and Settlement Agency, Muhamad
Hidayat, said that the violation of building permit use also
occurred in Lippo Karawaci and Bumi Serpong Damai housing
complexes.

"The illegal conversion does not only violate the bylaw on
building permits, but it also disrupts the city's regional
spatial plan," he said.

"Moreover, it causes heavy traffic in the areas, the emergence
of a social gap between the businesspeople and their neighbors,
not to mention how much the administration loses in taxes,"
Hidayat added.

The agency will send warning letters to the owners of the
converted houses in the three housing estates and summon the
developers who violated the city spatial plan.

"To enable the house owners to continue their businesses
there, they must apply for new permits. If they fail to do so in
a certain period of time, the agency will demolish the premises
as the consequence," he said.

Separately, Deden Sugandhi, the administration assistant who
supervises physical development, said that he had prepared steps
to demolish illegal business sites owned by residents.

"I will not compromise with permit offenders. We have
demolished five churches and a mosque in Becongan Indah housing
complex in Curug district because they violated land use
regulations."