It has been a big week for Nusa Penida, especially the clifftop overlooking their world-famous Kelingking Beach.
Work has begun on the new 182m glass elevator and viewing platforms that will be built on the cliffside, and foundations have been set for a new housing project overlooking the bay too.
The Nusa Penida Glass Elevator is a project that was first tabled in 2023. The announcement of the project garners a whole host of mixed emotions from Bali lovers with many local communities, and tourists openly voicing their dismay at the idea.
Many local leaders gave their backing for the project, citing economic development, employment, and tourism development as the reasons for their support.
The first stone for the project was laid in late 2023 and was attended by regency leaders, the local community, and the private investors behind the project.
The construction will see an 182m glass elevator shaft installed, traveling from the very top of the Kelingking Beach Viewing Point down to the beach itself.
While designs show that the elevator shaft will be constructed in one 182m shaft, there will be several viewing platforms built into the cliffside, the walkways, and lookout points at various stages down the cliff face.
Many Bali lovers have been vocal about their fears about the environmental impact of this initiative and the impact installing such high tourism infrastructure would have on the island of Nusa Penida.
As construction on the project is starting seriously now, these concerns have been renewed, especially in light of the recent construction landslide at Pemutih Peactu Beach in Uluwatu.
The cliffside at the Mirah Development Group construction site for the new Amali Luxury Residence collapsed into the beach below, destroying the ancient cliffside and temporarily blocking access between the iconic Bingin Beach and Impossibles Beach.
The Nusa Penida Glass Elevator is being developed as a partnership between Karang Dawa Traditional Banjar in Bunga Mekar Village and the Chinese investment company PT Bina Nusa Properti (PT BNP).
Only a few details of the project were shared with the press during the initial press conferences in July of last year. It was revealed at the time that the construction contract dictates that PT BNP employs a construction team that is made up of at least 50% local labor.
Some critics of the project said that the economic benefits of the development cannot be outweighed by the potential negatives of the environmental damage the project may lead to in the long and short term.
Leaders in Bali and the central government have assured us that the project will be completed with strict adherence to the rules and regulations of Indonesian law when it comes to construction and development.
The Head of the Bali Tourism Office, Tjok Bagus Pemayun, told reporters in July 2023 “We hope that the Klungkung Regency Government will closely monitor the glass elevator construction process. Ensuring the stages of development are in accordance with applicable regulations.”
He added, “Regarding the construction of this glass elevator, we hope that the supervision will be even tighter so that it doesn’t have a bad impact on Bali’s image.”
This work is getting underway at Kelingking Beach at a particularly sensitive moment in Bali. Just under a year has passed since the first announcements for the Nusa Penida Glass Elevator, and the conversation around tourism development in Bali Province has continued to evolve.
For the last few weeks, even more leaders and tourism stakeholders have been coming forward, voicing their concerns about rampant tourism development and spatial planning issues on the island.
Kelingking Beach also has already hit the headlines this week as it became clear that work has started on a new housing development that overlooks the world-famous panorama.
The permits for the development were first lodged in 2019, and images published on citizen journalism social media accounts show how the land has been cleared, and the first round of landscaping has been undertaken, with the clifftop leveled appearing ready for foundations to be poured in the coming weeks.
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Mary
Wednesday 20th of November 2024
This is absolutely horrible. I have been there 5 years ago and loved it. Went there again today and was absolutely shocked by this sight. F**** Chinese Company in combination with a corrupt government will be responsible for destroying one of the most beautiful and iconic beaches I have ever been to incl. overcrowding the place... If you can't climb down LEAVE IT BE and go to another beach FFS. I mean... WTF!!! 😠
Not only that. There is actually wildlife there. I saw beautiful white birds nesting in the cave next to the beach.
AP. Panjaitan
Wednesday 7th of August 2024
Unstoppable madness already happened in Bali, as well as other parts of Indonesia. At least not to long from pandemic Cov19 2020.
As a construction project engineer for nearly 20 years of lifetime. Don't talk about the fulfilling the national regulations compliancy in the Nation's engineering and technical norms, codes and standards to guarantee the Quality Assurance of the construction work's results to fulfill the end facet of SLF regulation and certification. I can't imagine on how the named consultants and the official government regulator could agreed and released the ESIA (Environment & Social Impact Asessment checklist & forms) to the named huge money local & foreign investor's so they got the PBG/IMB permits to built & executed those projects.
Well, maybe it is the time to say goodbye to Bali paradise with its' Hinduism ethics of Sad Kerthi and Tri Hita Karana.
Wake up local Bali indegenous people. It' s time to fight seriously to the finest collaborations of those greedy Local & Foreign Investors with the CORRUPT rats of your own local official/regulator. Before it's too late just like other provinces in Sumatra, Kalimantan/Borneo, Sulawesi, Maluku Utara and Papua islands. That have already been failed to protect their ancestor's land and environment livelihood from other forms of "sound advantage goodness" of massive capital of Mega Land Grab investments, from consessions and permits for RAINFOREST - AGRIBUSINESS (Palm oil, Sugarcane & Natural Rubber Plantations) became long time operated Illegal Mining activities and "the Legal" Mining (Coal & Metals (Gold & Copper, Tin, Nickel & Cobalt) business.
Fight for your own GENERATIONS livelihood to come.
Since beginning of June till August,2024. I witnessed the total destruction of environment and livelihood ecosystem in one part of Karst hill's top also in Pecatu,Badung region of southern Bali. Which has already been surrounding by numbers of existing and the ongoing under construction projects of conventional insitu concrete type of villa building blocks owned by modern and developed European, US and Australian investors .
Besides those named luxurious villas for foreigner customers market in Pecatu, Southern Bali. I also witnessed in Tabanan regency on how the local property developer company who are running the land development and property project for the government's affordable housing estate type for the low income locals (PUPR Tipe RSH). Without retaining wall built before. They have been cutting the hill for levelling and dumped the soil into the lower to upstream of a small river becomes smaller dimension and flow rate from more than 2 m'wide & 0.6m' depth to only small stormwater sewage type that less than 50 cm (0.5m') wide and 30cm (0.3m') depth. That small river is one of 4 upstream river branches that flow to waterdam and watering hundreds of hectare of paddy rice farmland.
Now, in Nusa Penida island. The Chinese and Russian are on their hot race to invest alot of sum of their money for the commercial tourism land property development business opportunity.
Andrew
Tuesday 9th of July 2024
Was just there today…so sad! Before it was a gorgeous piece of nature. Now it is just a photograph to make your friend’s jealous. Time to fine another quieter spot.
Justin
Sunday 23rd of June 2024
Unbelievably stupid! If that’s really going to be finished I’ll never come back to my favorite beach.
BaliEyeWitness...
Saturday 15th of June 2024
Chinese money to build it and you can be sure that the locals will see precious little benefit except a few very poorly paid jobs in tourism. Large profits will go to the people who sold the land, the locals on the take and of course an income stream to those Chinese investors all that money will leave Bali. Bali is selling its soul so sad to see.