MORE THAN 120 rai of underused land is being opened up for a public park and joint-venture office buildings in the heart of Phuket City.
The land, amounting to a total of 126 rai, has a high value at today's prices.
But because it is government-owned, only a small portion will be developed for housing.
Most of it will be green and pleasant. Private funding will be used to speed completion of the project.
Large tracts of the land will go for parkland and a more practical home for existing government departments that are squeezed for space elsewhere.
Phuketwan reporters came across the land when they took a left-hand turn from Chao Fa Road West, opposite Suan Luang Park, and by chance encountered two dinosaurs.
The dinosaurs turned out to be statues, standing peacefully under a grove of trees.
Further inquiries revealed that the land, home to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, was about to become the centrepiece of one of the biggest government developments in Phuket City for years.
The expanse of property stretches all the way from Chao Fa Road West to Chao Fa Road East.
The Treasury masterplan has been drawn up for the entire space and early in 2008 it will go out for public tender on the construction costs.
Joining the two large dinosaur statues and the MNRE on the huge site will be the Fisheries Department and the Commercial Department.
There are five zones, the Chief of Phuket Treasury, Tamrong Tongtan, told Phuketwan.
''Only 50 or 60 people occupied the buildings on all that land,'' he said. ''As Phuket City kept growing, this land kept being overlooked, until now.
''Development will mean a dramatic improvement in working and living conditions for some government officers who will be moving to the new site.''
Completion could take as little as three years, once the contracts are signed.
The masterplan includes five zones. Zone A, close to Chao Fa Road West, includes a new home for the MNRE, the Fisheries Department and the Commercial Department.
A second building will house government departments that currently are paying rent on privately owned property elsewhere in Phuket City.
Zone B, extending deep into the site, includes condominiums that will house many of the government officers who will work in Zone A.
A swimming pool and exercise facilities should make the accommodation among the best for government officers anywhere on Phuket.
Zone C, also close to Chao Fa Road West, is for a private commercial centre that will also include outlets for some of the products that the government departments oversee.
Zone D, the green heartland in between the Chao Fa Roads, will occupy 40 rai.
Existing trees will be augmented by new foliage and the addition of natural areas where schoolchildren can see mangroves and other special plantings. Its main purpose will be for education.
Zone E, fronting Chao Fa Road East, is already nearing completion. It includes a five-storey building to house court officers and an eight-storey building for other government officers.
Khun Tamrong said that government accommodation was more likely to be in condominiums these days than old-style houses because space was more valuable now.
The Treasury was keen to put some of the land to public use for the people of Phuket, he said.
And the dinosaurs of 'Dinosaur Park'? They make an intriguing footnote.
We came across them quite by accident and couldn't believe it at first.
There was a tyranysaurus rex, towering above the treetops, a meat-eater if ever we saw one.
Down below, slinking beside the tree trunks, was a stegyosaurus with a spiky tail.
Here was Phuket's very own secret Jurassic Park, just waiting for explorers like us to tell the world about our amazing find.
The dinosaurs, we discovered, belong to the Department of Primary Industries and Mines.
And you have to be sharp-eyed to find them without help.
''We get a few students who come to have a look at our dinosaurs,'' said Thawi Thongpan, an engineer with the department.
Fossil skeletons of prehistoric creatures have been found in Krabi but these two giants are the closest thing to real dinosaurs that Phuket has ever seen.
There are others who will tell you that there plenty of dinosaurs, and that they can be found pursuing bar girls in Soi Bangla or local karaokes most nights.
As for students of real dinosaurs, the department does what it can to help.
Inside the department's main building there's a large wallchart explaning as much as is known about the dinosaur period.
The HQ also houses a small tin mine museum, with artifacts and photographs from one of the island's most interesting periods.
Some of this may move to the new tin mine museum in Kathu when it opens.
But the dinosaurs? They are staying put, at least for now. And they look very impressive.
They were built 30 years ago as a useful way of bringing the prehistoric period to life for students, but still look as though they have been around for just a few million years.
Anyone who wants to take a look at the dinosaurs is welcome but the department would prefer visitors to telephone first. They can provide a guide Mondays to Fridays. The telephone number: 076-212250.
The land, amounting to a total of 126 rai, has a high value at today's prices.
But because it is government-owned, only a small portion will be developed for housing.
Most of it will be green and pleasant. Private funding will be used to speed completion of the project.
Large tracts of the land will go for parkland and a more practical home for existing government departments that are squeezed for space elsewhere.
Phuketwan reporters came across the land when they took a left-hand turn from Chao Fa Road West, opposite Suan Luang Park, and by chance encountered two dinosaurs.
The dinosaurs turned out to be statues, standing peacefully under a grove of trees.
Further inquiries revealed that the land, home to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, was about to become the centrepiece of one of the biggest government developments in Phuket City for years.
The expanse of property stretches all the way from Chao Fa Road West to Chao Fa Road East.
The Treasury masterplan has been drawn up for the entire space and early in 2008 it will go out for public tender on the construction costs.
Joining the two large dinosaur statues and the MNRE on the huge site will be the Fisheries Department and the Commercial Department.
There are five zones, the Chief of Phuket Treasury, Tamrong Tongtan, told Phuketwan.
''Only 50 or 60 people occupied the buildings on all that land,'' he said. ''As Phuket City kept growing, this land kept being overlooked, until now.
''Development will mean a dramatic improvement in working and living conditions for some government officers who will be moving to the new site.''
Completion could take as little as three years, once the contracts are signed.
The masterplan includes five zones. Zone A, close to Chao Fa Road West, includes a new home for the MNRE, the Fisheries Department and the Commercial Department.
A second building will house government departments that currently are paying rent on privately owned property elsewhere in Phuket City.
Zone B, extending deep into the site, includes condominiums that will house many of the government officers who will work in Zone A.
A swimming pool and exercise facilities should make the accommodation among the best for government officers anywhere on Phuket.
Zone C, also close to Chao Fa Road West, is for a private commercial centre that will also include outlets for some of the products that the government departments oversee.
Zone D, the green heartland in between the Chao Fa Roads, will occupy 40 rai.
Existing trees will be augmented by new foliage and the addition of natural areas where schoolchildren can see mangroves and other special plantings. Its main purpose will be for education.
Zone E, fronting Chao Fa Road East, is already nearing completion. It includes a five-storey building to house court officers and an eight-storey building for other government officers.
Khun Tamrong said that government accommodation was more likely to be in condominiums these days than old-style houses because space was more valuable now.
The Treasury was keen to put some of the land to public use for the people of Phuket, he said.
And the dinosaurs of 'Dinosaur Park'? They make an intriguing footnote.
We came across them quite by accident and couldn't believe it at first.
There was a tyranysaurus rex, towering above the treetops, a meat-eater if ever we saw one.
Down below, slinking beside the tree trunks, was a stegyosaurus with a spiky tail.
Here was Phuket's very own secret Jurassic Park, just waiting for explorers like us to tell the world about our amazing find.
The dinosaurs, we discovered, belong to the Department of Primary Industries and Mines.
And you have to be sharp-eyed to find them without help.
''We get a few students who come to have a look at our dinosaurs,'' said Thawi Thongpan, an engineer with the department.
Fossil skeletons of prehistoric creatures have been found in Krabi but these two giants are the closest thing to real dinosaurs that Phuket has ever seen.
There are others who will tell you that there plenty of dinosaurs, and that they can be found pursuing bar girls in Soi Bangla or local karaokes most nights.
As for students of real dinosaurs, the department does what it can to help.
Inside the department's main building there's a large wallchart explaning as much as is known about the dinosaur period.
The HQ also houses a small tin mine museum, with artifacts and photographs from one of the island's most interesting periods.
Some of this may move to the new tin mine museum in Kathu when it opens.
But the dinosaurs? They are staying put, at least for now. And they look very impressive.
They were built 30 years ago as a useful way of bringing the prehistoric period to life for students, but still look as though they have been around for just a few million years.
Anyone who wants to take a look at the dinosaurs is welcome but the department would prefer visitors to telephone first. They can provide a guide Mondays to Fridays. The telephone number: 076-212250.
