The Regent of Badung, Wayan Adi Arnawa, has called for peace in the community as demolition work is set to begin at Uluwatu’s Bingin Beach.
More than forty buildings at Bingin Beach in the popular tourism resort of Uluwatu are to be demolished after authorities found a series of building and spatial planning violations.
Dozens of buildings found to have been constructed illegally are to be demolished in Bali’s Bingin Beach.
The popular coastal hideaway has long been one of the most famous beaches in Uluwatu, renowned for its cliff-backed shoreline and excellent surf.
In June, it was confirmed by the Bali Provincial Government that more than forty business buildings, including hotels, resorts, cafes, and local warungs, were to be ordered to be demolished after an investigation found a swathe of building regulation violations.
According to Regent Arnawa, the demolition work is the most effective way to ‘restore the status of state land as it should be’. As demolition work gets underway, local leaders have called for calm in the community and asked that the public not interfere with the plans as they stand or provoke protests calling for the decision to be reversed.
Regent Arnawa told reporters, “I also hope that no individuals try to convey or provoke the public, who already know and understand. Especially promising that this will be resolved by methods A, B, C, D, and so on.”
Adding “No one should try and provoke people who already understand, let alone promise that this can be solved. When we met with the people, they realised the land was not theirs and were willing to dismantle it.”
Regent Arnawa continued, “I have gone directly to Bingin, having a dialogue with the residents. I ask, it’s better to [dismantle] it yourself than we dismantle it later.”
He confirmed that he and his teams will listen to the concerns of local businesses who will be affected by the demolition work.
The deconstruction work will not only impact the business whose premises will be destroyed but also small vendors and solo entrepreneurs who work for a daily wage in the Bingin Beach area. The demolitions will also impact some of Bali’s oldest and most iconic tourist warungs and hangouts, including Didi’s, Kelly’s, and Ombak.
Regent Arnawa told reporters, “Our community is very understanding, even willing to do the demolition.” Adding “At first, we have to clean up whoever it is [who has violated the law] because we have to restore the status of the land that has been used by our community.”
The 45 building owners whose properties need to be demolished have been handed notices and have two weeks, from the 25th June, to dismantle their sites voluntarily. If they fail to do so, the Satpol PP, which are the civil police, and the related government agencies, will carry out demolitions themselves.
Uluwatu Community, an online citizen journalism account, has raised questions about the demolition orders. In a recent Instagram post, the group asked, “Is this really about law enforcement, or about clearing prime land for bigger investors with deeper pockets? It seems the idea of an ‘undeveloped’ cliff no longer fits into certain visions of the future.”
Speaking to reporters on 13th June 2025, local workers at Bingin Beach shared their concerns about the impact demolition efforts will have on their livelihoods and on tourists visiting the world-famous stretch of coast.
Nyoman Musadi, who represents 34 of the traditional warung owners and stallholders on the beachfront, shared that many local traders have been experiencing anxiety and fear about the future.
Musadi explained, “As a local community who have been descended from [this area], the elderly still earn a living or livelihood in the Bingin Beach area. If these businesses are closed or dismantled, what about our fate? There are 34 people who are residents who make a living to survive, and they have children, grandchildren, and also need to eat.”
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