City centre redevelopment.

Post by **saint** » August 19, 2008, 9:56 am

quote [ huge glass dome ] that will look great after 6 months s~it has rained down on it !!!!!! just take a look at the present complex and hotel to get my point. why dont they wash windows over here ?

Post by **BobHelm** » August 19, 2008, 10:02 am

New Company opportunity maybe saint...

Post by **lee** » August 19, 2008, 10:20 am

Thanks for the update truebrit.

So who is the company behind these developments? Is it still Central, Beer Chang (Thai Beverage) or someone else?

Post by **stattointhailand** » August 19, 2008, 10:40 am

Funny feeling yesterday, I had to drive over the area that used to be the bars (not the roadway between them ) the actual bar areas where I had spent many a happy hour supping not so long ago.

Post by **trubrit** » August 19, 2008, 5:05 pm

lee wrote:Thanks for the update truebrit.

So who is the company behind these developments? Is it still Central, Beer Chang (Thai Beverage) or someone else?

The project is currently under the umbrella of CPN, a property development company . To give you an idea of the time scale involved I recommend you log in to www.cpn.co.th . On there you will see the schedule for the Pattaya store which has taken 5 years from site acquisition to handing over to retail development.There is also an update on the one in Khon Kaen, which still doesn't have a completion date but is widely expected to be post 2010. So I am sorry don't hold your breath guys or you may not be around to ever see it come to fruition.

Post by **BobHelm** » August 19, 2008, 6:28 pm

I am surprised that as the plan is that long term they were so quick to pull down Soi Falang & the shops in front. I realise that it would not be generating 'big money' (compared to the reported cost of the purchase/development) but I would have thought that an income of 200K or so a month was better than nothing, for any business.
Or am I to conclude that part of the deal was to get rid of what may have been viewed as an 'eye sore' by some in authority???

Post by **saint** » August 19, 2008, 6:33 pm

oh well thats B H and my window cleaning company gone bust before we ever got of the ground , excuse the pun . the bomb site is nice, takes me back to my childhood.

Post by **BobHelm** » August 19, 2008, 6:38 pm

Yeah back to the drawing board on that one saint

p.s. Thanks for the update trubrit.....

Post by **mortiboy** » August 19, 2008, 6:44 pm

would that be WW1, or WW2!

oh well thats B H and my window cleaning company gone bust before we ever got of the ground , excuse the pun . the bomb site is nice, takes me back to my childhood.

Post by **wazza** » August 19, 2008, 7:23 pm

Looks like my Latte Ron from Starbucks has turned onto a Cafe yen .

Amazing Thailand

Post by **canuck-viking** » August 19, 2008, 8:48 pm

Ok...so its going to be a long term development. I remember when Siam Paragon was a deep muddy hole six years ago. I won't be getting my hopes up after all it took how long to build the overpass on the ring road...

Post by **Zidane** » August 21, 2008, 9:00 am

Last night whilst out for an enjoyable meal and a few beers I heard some info. about the city centre development that might be of interest.

1.In our restaurant,apparently,was the owner of the J Avenue complex in Bangkok.His company have purchased the land near the Railway station which was once planned to be the UD complex.There are plans for retail outlets on the site plus a supermarket and also a MacDonalds and Whittards shop.
The design of the area will be a tasteful Japanese theme,similar to the one in Bangkok.

2.The deal with Central for the land opposite the Charoensri has indeed fallen through but has now been acquired by the Chang Brewery.They are planning to build a new ultra modern shopping complex with restaurants etc. which will be nothing like the concrete block that is the Charoensri complex.Also they are planning to renovate and update the Charoensri Grand Hotel....not before time people might say !
D2 will be staying but not sure about Tawen Daeng.

Dont know how this pans out with what others "more in the know" than myself have heard.It was an Udon Thai businesswoman who told me this.
No idea of what timescale is involved.

Zidane

Post by **BobHelm** » August 21, 2008, 9:35 am

Good if something happens with the old UD site at last...
The last time I went to Vientiane (a while back admittedly) they still had the advert (with a wonderful "picture" of what it looked like) for it on the way back to the bridge...

laphanphon · Post by **laphanphon** » August 21, 2008, 10:27 am

there has been a bit of activity at 'ud' site, so that sounds real nice. has chang brewery developed other areas as shopping centers?

Post by **Zidane** » August 21, 2008, 12:28 pm

laphanphon wrote:there has been a bit of activity at 'ud' site, so that sounds real nice. has chang brewery developed other areas as shopping centers?

Yes,there was a bulldozer and a couple of trucks at the UD site this morning so it looks as though things are getting underway.
Chang Brewery certainly has hotels but dont know of shopping centres.

Zidane

Post by **stattointhailand** » August 21, 2008, 5:45 pm

There are plans for retail outlets on the site plus a supermarket and also a MacDonalds and Whittards shop.

oh no .... not Mc Somtam with large fries and a coke

Post by **westerby** » August 21, 2008, 6:25 pm

Zidane wrote:The deal with Central for the land opposite the Charoensri has indeed fallen through but has now been acquired by the Chang Brewery.They are planning to build a new ultra modern shopping complex with restaurants etc. which will be nothing like the concrete block that is the Charoensri complex.Also they are planning to renovate and update the Charoensri Grand Hotel....not before time people might say !
D2 will be staying but not sure about Tawen Daeng.

It's interesting because when you put it into perspective, the Complex has only been there 13 or so years and it's viewed as out of date already.

Post by **beer monkey** » August 21, 2008, 9:16 pm

But it is a bit ermmm shall we say shabby...no lets stick with out of date, it needs a whole new design.

Post by **saint** » August 21, 2008, 9:50 pm

no, shabby is what it is. my guess is it was built on the cheap or the contractor and project manager were on the take. i remember a couple of years ago large sheets of granite fell off the front onto the pavement below ??? add to that its never ever been maintained properly, very rarely is it cleaned properly and you get shabby. any building needs proper maintenance if its to keep its function and looks, now its got to the stage where it needs a complete face lift. shame really, but to maximise profits its been very badly neglected.

Post by **yaya sabai** » August 22, 2008, 12:23 pm

The shabbiness and lack of proper maintenance is probably a result of the families financial difficulties stemming from the 97 collapse.

Basically, the non- favorable exchange rate and money problems all these years resulted in serious debt. Buyers have been offering to buy assets for a few years. And now they have sold some of the big parcel: Complex, Grand and Palace hotels. Don't know about the car dealership.

D2 should be around till the end of the year when the year lease is up. Hope it finds a new home.

Maybe the Oskar will be for sale.