PHUKET: Plans for a new Provincial Hall in Phuket City have been quietly shelved, sources at the island's administrative centre have told Phuketwan.
The prospect of a new provincial hall being erected on Sanamchai Park opposite the existing 150-year-old provincial hall was met with public protests by Phuket residents unhappy at the loss of the historic city parklands.
Phuket authorities offered to create more tennis courts not far away and to give the land on which the Phuket Prison now sits over to parkland once a new jail is built.
The present provincial hall in Phuket City remains a charming two-storey fixture that would have become a museum. Most other provinces in Thailand have modern six-storey facilities where local departments from key ministries are all located.
Anyone who has to visit several different government departments on Phuket will be obliged to continue to go on a tour of Phuket City.
The new provincial hall was announced in mid-2012 with a budget of 450 million baht and was to be built in Sino-Portuguese style to match historical Phuket buildings. There was also to be a helicopter landing platform on top.
However, Phuket residents turned out in numbers to save the Sanamchai park.
The prospect of a new provincial hall being erected on Sanamchai Park opposite the existing 150-year-old provincial hall was met with public protests by Phuket residents unhappy at the loss of the historic city parklands.
Phuket authorities offered to create more tennis courts not far away and to give the land on which the Phuket Prison now sits over to parkland once a new jail is built.
The present provincial hall in Phuket City remains a charming two-storey fixture that would have become a museum. Most other provinces in Thailand have modern six-storey facilities where local departments from key ministries are all located.
Anyone who has to visit several different government departments on Phuket will be obliged to continue to go on a tour of Phuket City.
The new provincial hall was announced in mid-2012 with a budget of 450 million baht and was to be built in Sino-Portuguese style to match historical Phuket buildings. There was also to be a helicopter landing platform on top.
However, Phuket residents turned out in numbers to save the Sanamchai park.
Though I'm happy the park was saved I also agree having to run from one government office to another one is very challenging due to their spread-out locations.
Perhaps they could find a more suitable location because the idea of integrating all agencies under the same roof should not only be far more convenient for customers but would also result in lower administrative costs.
In addition the plots of land vacated by moving those agencies out could be sold to partially finance the project.
the heliport though was truly a over-the-top idea.
Posted by ThaiMike on July 5, 2013 11:41