Suan Lum Night Bazaar closed??

[Partyguy]

I heard rumors that the night market/beer garden may be closed or on its way to closing. Is there any truth to this?

[elef]

It has been on it's way to closing since 2002 so I guess one day..... ::

[samak]

rumours like the closings of NEP, SC, Washington Square...

 

depends probably on the development of the economy and in particular the real estate sector. how many more superfluous high end shopping centers and high end condos are built at prime locations.

[elef]

I think NEP is the first of these to be closed - it will be interesting to see if the indian family is still owning the land - I will not be surprised if Chuwit owns it now! ::

[samak]

why? what should Chuwit have to do with NEP? isn't one Chuwit park on sukhumvit enough?

[liquidflux]

I can't see the Indian family ever giving up that land. Outside of Patpong it has to be one of the biggest money makers in the city.

[elef]

Maybe, but I've heard that one barowner together with his big boss ((sub?)leaseowner) had to go to Chuwit to ask for his permission for something, maybe he is just a leaseowner, or?

[Partyguy]

Three leading property developers have been shortlisted to develop the 127-rai Suan Lum Night Bazaar site, according to the Crown Property Bureau.

 

The three _ Central Pattana Plc, Sansiri Plc and TCC Land _ were among eight candidates reviewed in the first round.

 

Chirayu Israngkul na Ayutthaya, the director-general of the Crown Property Bureau (CPB), which owns the prime central Bangkok site, said it would choose one or two developers to transform the land.

 

''We will carefully consider the financial strength, design, project viability and foreign partnership of each candidate, as the whole development will require a huge investment budget of up to 100 billion baht,'' he said yesterday.

 

Dr Chirayu declined to say when the project would be finalised, but said development plans should include a mix of residential condominiums, a hotel, commercial plaza, entertainment and an art and cultural centre.

 

The CPB is confident that once the new development on the land, which formerly housed the Armed Forces Academy Preparatory School, is finished, it will become a Bangkok landmark.

 

Dr Chirayu said the development project may be delayed as the bureau was preparing to file a legal case against P Con Development (Thai) Co, the operator of the Suan Lum Night Bazaar.

 

P Con's lease for the site, now used by 3,000 retail stores, expired on March 31. But it failed to transfer the property back to the CPB on April 1, while its plan to remove shops from the site is unclear.

 

''We don't want to pressure retail shop owners and we will allow them to gradually move out by April [of 2007]. But it doesn't mean that we will renew their leases,'' Dr Chirayu said.

 

The CPB is open for negotiations with P Con and hopes legal action will remain a last resort to settling the dispute with the company.

 

Apart from the Suan Lum site, the CPB is preparing to develop a 70-rai plot between Lang Suan sois three and five as a residential complex on its own. There are 240 tenants leasing the land at present.

 

The CPB has plans to increase its rents for commercial purposes, while the rents for residences would stay the same. Currently, the bureau has 2,400 lease contracts in Bangkok and 10,000 in the provinces.