Leaders Investigate Plans To Build Tourist Beach Club In Bali’s Sanur 

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A review of the prospect of a new beach club in the heart of Bali’s Sanur is underway.

The popular coastal retreat has undergone huge transportation over the last few years into a special economic zone for health and tourism.

However, for many local communities, leaders, and seasoned Bali lovers, the idea of a big beach club opening in Sanur feels like a step too far. 

Little is known about the finer details of the prospective new beach club in Sanur, as the details submitted to the Single Online Submission Application (OSS) service have not been shared with the media. The beach club is rumored to be part of the ICON Bali Mall complex.

When the ICON Bali Mall first launched its website detailing its huge plans for the entertainment and retail complex, the website described how the team would establish not one but two beach clubs that connect to the ICON Bali Mall Beach Promenade.

However, this description was removed from the site in the weeks before the mall’s soft launch in June.  

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With so much development and growth happening in Bali’s biggest resorts, Sanur included, leaders and concerned communities have been calling for building permits and listening processes to be reviewed.

Many have also called for an urgent spatial planning review to ensure that any new construction benefits Bali in the long term and is developed in a sustainable way with sufficient supporting infrastructure. 

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One of the biggest issues Bali lovers are concerned about is that the permits for the progressive beach club could be issued by authorities connected to the central government rather than at the discretion of the authorities in Bali.

Others, including the Mayor of Denpasar, have stated they feel that the presence of the beach club in the quiet, family-friendly, and relaxed resort of Sanur would change the atmosphere irreversibly.

There are subtle concerns that the presence of a beach club could bring a noisy nightlife scene to Sanur, like that of Canggu and Seminyak, which is the exact opposite of why many people choose to book a vacation in this area.

It is Sanur’s quiet and more understated charm that calls holidaymakers to return to the resort year after year. 

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Top officials in Bali and the central government are not investigating the prospective beach club plans and have confirmed that they will review all aspects of the project before making a decision about whether the project will be given the final go ahead. 

The Deputy for Marketing Affairs of the Ministry of Tourism, Ni Made Ayu Marthini, told reporters, “We have already identified it, and now the local government is aware of it, and on the 30th (July) we will continue once again. Because of this, if there are things that need to be reviewed in terms of rules later under the Menko office later we will coordinate.”

Minister Uno, Indonesia’s Minister for Tourism and Creative Economies, has also spoken to reporters about the issue.

He said, “The most important thing is to talk to the entrepreneur, too, because they will build a permit initially. And indeed, if this we need to sit together, we are looking for a joint solution that should not disturb the public order in the licensing corridor.”

The Head of the Ball Province Tourism Service, Tjok Bagus Pemayun, has also weighed in on the situation.

He has confirmed that he has sent teams to the site to inspect proceedings and to check any permits that have already been granted for the project.

Pemayun also noted, “I want to have another meeting on licensing issues with the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.”

The Mayor of Denpasar, who also presides over Sanur, said that he had not been consulted about the development, nor had he seen any construction permits.

I Gusti Ngurah Jaya Negara told reporters, “If you don’t have a basic permit for construction, it’s not allowed. Unless they had permission from the central government, we don’t know if they got permission from the center or not.”