Rama IV set for massive redevelopment

[fountainhall]

Rama IV is set to be reshaped to become Bangkok's most bustling street a few years down the line. Some of the new construction projects totalling 170 billion Baht and covering 2.6 million sq. meters have already started. The largest will be named One Bangkok covering the site of the old Night Market on the corner of Rama IV and Wireless Road. This will include 5 Grade A office towers, five new luxury hotels, 3 residential towers, yet more extensive retail space and a plaza for various other activities. Cruising has not been mentioned - yet!

Other developments will see mixed-use projects going up all along from the Queen Sirikit Convention Centre to Sam Yan MRT station. As previously announced, the long-established Dusit Thani hotel will also make way for a large mixed use development.

The question no-one has yet considered is the road itself. Rama IV is already one of the most congested in the city at peak hours. The recent month-long closure of two lanes of the Belgian Bridge has made it even worse for much of the day. Then, how all the tenants of all the new buildings will pack into the MRT and BTS is another big question mark! No doubt someone will get round to thinking about that once the buildings are finally up!

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/new ... o-level-up

[Oliver]

You can be sure that there will be no provision for housing for anyone other than the wealthy. Sukhumvit 38 will be the model; cleanse the vendors and the poor and ensure that the rich are happy.

[fountainhall]

I have zero doubt your are correct. Sadly I assume they will be pulling down quite a lot of cheap housing on the north side.

[Jun]

I suggest:
1 Closing the road to motorised traffic
2 Running longer MRT trains
3 Presumably the MRT could be extended past the main rail station, out through China town and onto wherever else they deem to have the most demand. So people can be brought in from both directions.

[Josan]

Plus the whole Robinson Dept Store at the corner of Rama IV and Silom is being redone or demolished! Wonder what is going there?

[Up2u]

I suggest:
1 Closing the road to motorised traffic
2 Running longer MRT trains
3 Presumably the MRT could be extended past the main rail station, out through China town and onto wherever else they deem to have the most demand. So people can be brought in from both directions.

1. Is impractical, Rama 4, is a major traffic artery, the only major street south of Sukumvit that runs parallel.
2, 3. Should happen no matter what, but 2 would take a long time.

[Trongpai]

This is the same press 'breaking news' story that ran 12 years ago. I was living across from that plot of land 12 years ago and when I read that this huge mall was going in across the street so when the lease came up I moved. Then I watched from the Q-House building above as they first kicked out the vendors and the land just went vacant. The area was walled off and the jungle reclaimed the land with some pretty big trees. Every few years they would cut down the trees and cut all the vegetation. Last year they paved the land with hot top. It's used sometimes for events.

The owner of the property is CPB. One time it was army barracks.

Just what Bangkok needs is more malls. I read that in USA no new malls have been built in a long time and many are deserted due to the customer base moving on to internet shopping. Bangkok just keeps building malls with 'Show DC" being the newest. I've not been there yet and I'm not exactly sure what it is all about.

MRT station Lumpini is right at the corner of that property. I would think that if this project ever comes to furitation there would be an underground entrance to the mall.

[fountainhall]

Is that the plot which was directly across from the Dusit Thani - where the Night Market used to be for some years? I really enjoyed that market, the more so with its being the home of the wonderful Joe Louis Puppet Theatre. I used to take every visiting friend there and all loved their shows. BEC Tero even created a 3,000 seat theatre for concerts. Then it was all pulled down for so-called redevelopment and has remained empty for what must be around 8 years or thereabouts. I see that a new wall has now been erected around the site and it looks as though some form of construction is about to start.

[Trongpai]

Not sure you can see this vacant land from the Dusit. This is on the corner of Sathorn and Rama 4. From the street level all you see is a huge steel wall but get above it from a high floor at the Q-house and you see the land I think the article is referring to. There's some construction over by the Japanese Embassy but not on the main portion of the property....yet.

I recall the Post was reporting around 2006 that the developer was claiming that this will be the tallest building in Bangkok. I don't see that claim being repeated in the current article.

[fountainhall]

Apologies! I should have referred to Q House. Certainly not the Dusit!