Monday, March 8, 2010
Ancol commercial city plan
Jakarta, which has 23.7 kilometers of northern coastal area, used to be famous for the white sand and clean water of its beaches.
It was a place where people could go and have fun, anytime, for free.
Today, the development of trade and industry has drastically changed this picture.
Bonded commercial zones and the construction of shipping docks along coastal areas during the last few decades have turned the once pristine beaches into appalling waste zones.
From the other direction, new homes, hotels and office buildings have also encroached on the areas.
Meanwhile, Jakartans are also loosing their rights to what is left of these once free public places.
Carnaval Beach in Ancol complex, North Jakarta, is now run for profit as a recreational beach. Entrance to the beach costs Rp 12,000 a person. Those with vehicles have to pay an additional Rp 12,000 for a car or Rp 10,000 for a motorcycle.
Carnaval Beach itself is a commercial site and will eventually become an entertainment venue: Ancol Beach City.
Manager of PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol's corporate communications, Sofia Cakti, said recently that the beach would be the site of a concert hall and a mall.
"The development is aimed at bringing Ancol closer to realizing it's target of making Carnaval Beach the city's premier culinary and entertainment hub," she told The Jakarta Post.
"People mostly come to Ancol to enjoy music concerts, which are held outdoors. Now we want to provide an indoor hall for live music performances.
"Besides, we see that Jakarta does not have a proper indoor concert hall," she said, adding that the planned construction of the concert hall is managed under a cooperative agreement between Ancol and PT Wahana Agung Indonesia Propertindo.
She said that Ancol Beach City would have a four-story shopping mall with the 5,000-seat concert hall at the top of the building.
There would be a children's playground, sea view cafes and restaurants, a food court, various boutiques and a cinema in the mall, she added.
Sofia said that Ancol's management was optimistic that, despite the fact they would have to pay an entry fee, there would be many visitors to the mall.
"When we first built restaurants in the Carnaval Beach area, we were not sure whether many people would pay the Rp 12,000 entrance fee to dine there," said Opie.
"But as of today, it's proven that visitors don't mind paying the fee to enjoy dining on the beach.
"So, the experience has emboldened us to create this entertainment-cum-lifestyle mall," she said, adding that the project was expected to be completed by the end of 2009.
The development of the mall, however, has raised the eyebrows of some Jakartans.
Erwin Kuntadi, who often takes her three children to Ancol, said the development was unnecessary.
"People, including myself, mostly come to Ancol to enjoy its beach. It is the only recreational beach in the city. We can sit under palm trees while drinking coconut water," said Erwin, 42.
"The mall will only ruin the nuances. It will also cause more pollution. The city has had a lot of malls, anyway.
"The concert hall is a good idea, but the building is not suitable for the area," she said.
Epi Wangge, 30, shared a similar view.
"A mall in Ancol? It's not a good idea. There are many buildings in the city and we don't need anymore of those. What the city lacks is outdoor space," said Epi.
"If they really want to build a mall, it would be better if they sold traditional Indonesian stuff instead of international products like we find at other malls," she said.
She said that she missed the beach from back in the 1970's.
"I remember going to Ancol by becak from my home in Tanjung Priok (also in North Jakarta) when I was a child. The beach was free, the sea water was clean and the sand was white," she said.
"Now, that's just a memory. Why should we pay entrance fee just to enjoy the dirty beach? That's so sad," Epi said.
Yayat Supriyatna, an urban planning expert at Trisakti University, said it was OK if Ancol wanted to build more facilities in the area.
"But, we hope that Ancol will not charge visitors the entrance fee, so everyone can enjoy the beach. It should instead charge people who use facilities inside the area and apply stricter regulations to protect the environment and facilities instead," said Yayat.
"There's almost no free public beaches left for Jakartans. People deserve to enjoy the beach for free.
"Ancol has developed fast, but unfortunately not everyone can enjoy the beach. I'm really concerned about this," he said.
He urged the administration to reconsider the spatial planning of the coastal areas, including Marunda Beach.
"Marunda Beach is a potential site, but its condition is very poor. The administration should have a definite concept of how to develop the beaches," he said.
"I'm afraid that the beaches will be more private in the future. I see that there will be a trend when people start to establish exclusive houses along the coastal areas. The beaches should be public places," said Yayat.
