Developer cancels 500 million baht project in Chiang Mai due to smog

[webfact]

Developer cancels 500 million baht project in Chiang Mai due to smog

 

FILE photo

 

A developer has pulled the plug on a 500 million baht construction project in Chiang Mai.

 

Sunshine International, Thailand’s leading brand of retirement residences told Thaivisa on Tuesday that their project which was due to be constructed near the city centre has now been cancelled.

 

Sunshine International, a retirement property which offers residents round the clock medical facilities, with on site doctors and nurses, and state of the art facilities, was due to be built on a five rai site in central Chiang Mai.

 

However, the company says that due to the problems the city is experiencing with poor air quality, smog and pollution it has been forced them to cancel development of the Sunshine International Retirement Residences.

 

“It’s a real shame”, said Andrew Stocks of Sunshine International.

 

Andrew said that his company had seen an increase in people contacting them saying they have been forced to leave Chiang Mai because of the smog.

 

He said that due to the negative impact on the local economy, as well as the impact the pollution has on people’s health, the project is currently not viable.

 

Andrew said his company will now focus on its other retirement projects located in Hua Hin, as well as a soon to be announced project in Phuket. He said Sunshine International would consider returning to Chiang Mai again if the smog situation improved.

 

However, Andrew said he believes the pollution situation will not improve until proper action is taken against those responsible for the burning that is taking place across Chiang Mai.

 

He called on the authorities to step in to help protect the livelihoods of local people who rely on income generated by the tourism industry in the region.

 

The news comes after the Tourism Authority of Thailand said it expected tourism levels in northern Thailand during Songkran to drop by 10 percent due to the problems with haze.

 

According to The Nation, TAT Governor Yuthasak Supasorn said the haze problem in the northern region would have a direct impact on tourism levels in the North during the Songkran festival from April 12 to 16.

 

It is expected that the number of tourists will drop by more than 10 per cent compared to last year. Hence, tourist groups are expected to adjust their travel plans and choose to travel to other areas in the Kingdom instead.

 

As a result, tourism revenue in Chiang Mai and northern Thailand will be reduced by 2 billion baht.

 

At present hotel occupancy rates in Chiang Mai are at approxiamtely 60 percent, the Nation reported.

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-04-10

[totally thaied up]

About bloody time someone walks out with their wallet. It’s the only thing they will understand, a loss of income.

[geoffbezoz]

Can anybody living in or around CM confirm whether or not any work whatsoever was started by Sunshine International at the site ?

 

If not , perhaps it was an opportunistic statement by this company to bury their own bad news. Perhaps the business model did not "hold water" anymore with the significant drop in foreigners able to afford this care or maybe the company could not raise the capital to develop based on forecast projections.

 

So let's blame it on the smog and save face perhaps ?

 

Just saying maybe other reasons

[FolkGuitar]

It's understandable... This smog problem is new. Never happened before, certainly not during the past five years that they were planning this retirement village. It's this new problem that has suddenly shown up that causes them to abandon the project...

Can you say "Bullsh!t?"

[NCC1701A]

32 minutes ago, webfact said:

Sunshine International, a retirement property which offers residents round the clock medical facilities, with on site doctors and nurses, and state of the art facilities,

 

32 minutes ago, webfact said:

Andrew said his company will now focus on its other retirement projects located in Hua Hin,

Tool late, all of Hua Hin is a retirement project.

[spidermike007]

Outstanding news. Only when the environment has a fiscal impact on the economy, will this hapless administration take notice, and start the kind of planning they should have been doing for the past 60 months. What exactly have they been doing?

[sammieuk1]

Dignitas remain interested on the cost saving predictions????

[geoffbezoz]

1 minute ago, sammieuk1 said:

Dignitas remain interested on the cost saving predictions????

Perhaps an opportunity.  Budget airline one way flights from CM to Switzerland ?  And I have the name for it too - Snuff Airways ?

[sammieuk1]

4 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

You can blame alot of that on the biggest joke, and Prayuth. Both appear to be ultra nationalists and both appear to dislike foreigners and scare away Western tourists and ex-pats. 

Thought it was just me they didn't like happy days????

[fisherd3]

1 hour ago, lopburi3 said:

Real tile is so cheap to buy/install here do not believe there is much market for cheaper alternatives.  Have never seen other than for wall decoration.  

Or Aliens being able to obtain reliable long stay visas in their retirement years.

[sweatalot]

34 minutes ago, FolkGuitar said:

It's understandable... This smog problem is new. Never happened before, certainly not during the past five years that they were planning this retirement village. It's this new problem that has suddenly shown up that causes them to abandon the project...

Can you say "Bullsh!t?"

never too late to learn - and in this case not too late to act appropriately

[happy chappie]

26 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Outstanding news. Only when the environment has a fiscal impact on the economy, will this hapless administration take notice, and start the kind of planning they should have been doing for the past 60 months. What exactly have they been doing?

To tell you the truth the administration have all got nice jobs in air con offices with good pensions and medical care so I don't think they give a toss.

[moe666]

Where in the world will anyone find 5rai of land in CM city center

 

[RobMuir]

31 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

You can blame alot of that on the biggest joke, and Prayuth. Both appear to be ultra nationalists and both appear to dislike foreigners and scare away Western tourists and ex-pats. 

I think you are imagining that the average tourist would even know who big Joke was.

Doubt it.

Tourist numbers are up.

 

[metisdead]

An off topic post and a reply has been removed.

[spidermike007]

2 hours ago, RobMuir said:

I think you are imagining that the average tourist would even know who big Joke was.

Doubt it.

Tourist numbers are up.

 

And income is way down. Ask any resort owner. Ask any restaurant owner, who caters to tourists. Ask the owner of gift shops, spas, travel agencies, and the like. I do. And they all tell me the same thing. The quality of tourists has gone way down, as the number of them has gone way up. How is that helping the average Thai?

[Benmart]

6 hours ago, geoffbezoz said:

Can anybody living in or around CM confirm whether or not any work whatsoever was started by Sunshine International at the site ?

 

If not , perhaps it was an opportunistic statement by this company to bury their own bad news. Perhaps the business model did not "hold water" anymore with the significant drop in foreigners able to afford this care or maybe the company could not raise the capital to develop based on forecast projections.

 

So let's blame it on the smog and save face perhaps ?

 

Just saying maybe other reasons

Maybe. Perhaps. Could be. Possibly. Just saying. 555

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Outstanding news. Only when the environment has a fiscal impact on the economy, will this hapless administration take notice, and start the kind of planning they should have been doing for the past 60 months. What exactly have they been doing?

<deleted> as usual.

[Jim walker]

Free set of lungs with every property

[Sydebolle]

The "Vivo Bene" is on the market for a sloppy THB 400 million - a steal, except for the haze. So far no takers and nothing in sight 

 

[AAArdvark]

7 hours ago, FolkGuitar said:

It's understandable... This smog problem is new. Never happened before, certainly not during the past five years that they were planning this retirement village. It's this new problem that has suddenly shown up that causes them to abandon the project...

Can you say "Bullsh!t?"

Not new, just measurable worse with a few days measured as the worst in the world.

[cardinalblue]

What the hell do they expect? People who grew up in the west expect clean air water and soil whether as a resident or as a visitor of a location.

 

pollution is unacceptable to a common sense westerner and has every right to vote with their feet....

 

 

[Lacessit]

5 minutes ago, AAArdvark said:

Not new, just measurable worse with a few days measured as the worst in the world.

I think the sarcasm delivery went through to the wicketkeeper.

[Lacessit]

The number of houses and condos for sale in Chiang Mai for extended periods of time is a reasonable indicator of how demand has fallen off a cliff due to smog. The few people I talk to in various service industries are all saying they have no customers. The Prayut visit was a PR exercise that achieved zero.

If it wasn't for the Chinese buying here, and sitting on property for decades, CM would become a ghost town. Maybe the Chinese are also having second thoughts.

[moe666]

This is a german property developement company. Apartment rental is 27,000b with nurses on call, buying a place starts at 2.9 million bhat. The site photo for CM was a view of the mountains, that it was on hold until questions could be answered by the government. evidently they didn't do there research and find this is a yearly problem

[wicketkeeper]

I'm off to Malaysia so I can breathe and swim.

Edited April 10, 2019 by wicketkeeper

[nodomino]

I and my friend  it’s also decided to eliminate CM for a retirement home. We’ve been there and loved the city but were never aware of it’s truly awful air pollution. Now looking at less polluted destinations that will likely not be Thailand.

[Snow Leopard]

4 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

And income is way down. Ask any resort owner. Ask any restaurant owner, who caters to tourists. Ask the owner of gift shops, spas, travel agencies, and the like. I do. And they all tell me the same thing. The quality of tourists has gone way down, as the number of them has gone way up. How is that helping the average Thai?

100% correct. You can see this just by walking around. Quantity is not Quality. Quality tourists spending money help the many. Quantity tourists spending little money in the country help the few. 

[hansnl]

8 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Outstanding news. Only when the environment has a fiscal impact on the economy, will this hapless administration take notice, and start the kind of planning they should have been doing for the past 60 months. What exactly have they been doing?

And what about all the governments before?

[motdaeng]

1 hour ago, Sydebolle said:

The "Vivo Bene" is on the market for a sloppy THB 400 million - a steal, except for the haze. So far no takers and nothing in sight 

 

any source please, thank you