Night Market Being Dismantled Today?

[bbw]

was just passing Sanam Lum and noticed that they are taking the roof off of the beer garden and otherwise seem to be dismantling the night market.

does anyone know anything about it? nothing in the news and we tried to call but no one answers... last i heard there was an appeal and it was going to be open for another year or two.

[girlx]

dunno, heard it was going down a while ago but this is not related to the ladies' forum at all!

[samtam]

Presumably you mean Suan Lum Night Bazaar. They've already demolished a building on the Rama IV side, and I think the whole demolition is finally underway, (1 year later than orignally scheduled).

[wasabi]

[JeffCA]

I read a post on another web site where the poster said it was the final day of the night market. I guess it was true. Just what Bangkok needs - another mall.

[billp]

The Suan Lum Evening Bazaar is apparently still up and running. A poster on Trip Advisor shed light on the demolition mystery:

To All

a building was demoilished next to the beer garden that is closest to the Lumpini MRT station exit. bits and pieces had been knocked down over the last few weeks. finally it was completely demolished last week and levelled. this building had been unoccupied for a number of years. i have no idea what they are going to build on it at the moment.

last night i went for a walk around. although the night market may seem busy to visiting tourists there have been a number of traders who have vacated their premises compared to my last visit 6 weeks ago.

The Central company has apparently given an extra 3 months for all traders to vacate the night market which the court ordered on Feb 14th. one presumes they have till May 13th. but as always here in BKK things can take time.

[bino]

Is there any word as to where the Joe Louis theatre will move to?

The theatre combined with the evening atmosphere of the night market for dinner and shopping was always a winner when visitors passed thru Bangkok. I'll miss it for sure.

[mrtoad]

What a shame.

Bunch of tools for thinking a fancy mall is progress.

[bulmercke]

Who needs another shopping mall - condo - office block in central BKK?

Obviously Central - the owners of this land do!

The Suan Lum Night Bazaar is a popular place for office workers and tourists alike in the evenings. What's going to replace it in the area?

Nothing me thinks.

Again big money and greed win over ordinary people's wishes.

[lazeeboy]

its a shame ,when im in bkk i always go there ,lots of different stuff in there , and a nice place to have a pint

[PadThaiGuy]

I liked the place before it was the night market. Open space.

Used to attend the Bangkok Concours de Elegance held there.

[Prakanong]

Who needs another shopping mall - condo - office block in central BKK?

Obviously Central - the owners of this land do!

The Suan Lum Night Bazaar is a popular place for office workers and tourists alike in the evenings. What's going to replace it in the area?

Nothing me thinks.

Again big money and greed win over ordinary people's wishes.

Are you sure Central actually own it and are not just leasing it?

You might be surprised as to who does own it.

[lomatopo]

Who needs another shopping mall - condo - office block in central BKK?

Obviously Central - the owners of this land do!

The Suan Lum Night Bazaar is a popular place for office workers and tourists alike in the evenings. What's going to replace it in the area?

Nothing me thinks.

Again big money and greed win over ordinary people's wishes.

I though this parcel was owned by the CPB (Crown Property Bureau), which admittedly is linked to Central.

[mrtoad]

Who needs another shopping mall - condo - office block in central BKK?

Obviously Central - the owners of this land do!

The Suan Lum Night Bazaar is a popular place for office workers and tourists alike in the evenings. What's going to replace it in the area?

Nothing me thinks.

Again big money and greed win over ordinary people's wishes.

Are you sure Central actually own it and are not just leasing it?

You might be surprised as to who does own it.

Yes, but thats probably an off limit discussion.

[steveromagnino]

Who needs another shopping mall - condo - office block in central BKK?

Obviously Central - the owners of this land do!

The Suan Lum Night Bazaar is a popular place for office workers and tourists alike in the evenings. What's going to replace it in the area?

Nothing me thinks.

Again big money and greed win over ordinary people's wishes.

I though this parcel was owned by the CPB (Crown Property Bureau), which admittedly is linked to Central.

Crown Property Bureau have no link to Central that I am aware of, other than being the landlord of the site and also being the landlord of the front section of CentralWorld.

If people want a market, then the market has to be willing to pay the market rents or there has to be some other viable reason to keep it going.

JJ Market is going fine, not sure why CPB should subsidise another one which was a financial disaster for about the the first 2 years?

Let's be clear the management of CPB have a responsibility to generate sustainable value to the shareholders. With the massive subsidies in Langsuan and sites like the Dusit, who knows if this site is at market.

We all know where this conversation is going to go, let's not do that.

[sbk]

We all know where this conversation is going to go, let's not do that.

Excellent advice steveromagnino, and one that I, as a moderator, would recommend to others to follow.

[trajan]

Is there any word as to where the Joe Louis theatre will move to?

The theatre combined with the evening atmosphere of the night market for dinner and shopping was always a winner when visitors passed thru Bangkok. I'll miss it for sure.

The national treasure traditional puppet theater, as I understand, will (or has) relocated to the 578-seat Aksara Grand Theatre at the King Power Complex (with Pullman Hotel of the Accor/Sofitel/Novotel etc. group) on Soi Langnam (near the Victory Monument).

[bulmercke]

Update - End of February 2007

Suan Lum project gets go ahead

Tallest skyscraper in development plan

Central Pattana Plc has formally been awarded a contract to redevelop the Suan Lum Night Bazaar from the Crown Property Bureau.

The highly coveted site, located opposite Lumphini Park at the intersection of Rama IV and Wireless Road, is expected to be renovated into a retail and commercial space that will include Bangkok's tallest office skyscraper.

Retailers subleasing space would be allowed to stay at the site until April with no cost, Mr Aviruth said, with the land to be turned over to CPN by the end of the year.

PROPERTY END OF CONTRACT AT SUAN LUM

The contracts expired in April this year (2006), but the owner of the land agreed to extend the rental period for one year to help tenants find new locations, moving the deadline to April 1, 2007.

The owner of Suan Lum, The Crown Property Bureau wants to get the space back from its current tenant so a new client - who has plans for residential condominiums, a hotel, commercial plaza, entertainment and an art and cultural centre - can move in.

[mrtoad]

Update - End of February 2007

Suan Lum project gets go ahead

Tallest skyscraper in development plan

Central Pattana Plc has formally been awarded a contract to redevelop the Suan Lum Night Bazaar from the Crown Property Bureau.

The highly coveted site, located opposite Lumphini Park at the intersection of Rama IV and Wireless Road, is expected to be renovated into a retail and commercial space that will include Bangkok's tallest office skyscraper.

Retailers subleasing space would be allowed to stay at the site until April with no cost, Mr Aviruth said, with the land to be turned over to CPN by the end of the year.

PROPERTY END OF CONTRACT AT SUAN LUM

The contracts expired in April this year (2006), but the owner of the land agreed to extend the rental period for one year to help tenants find new locations, moving the deadline to April 1, 2007.

The owner of Suan Lum, The Crown Property Bureau wants to get the space back from its current tenant so a new client - who has plans for residential condominiums, a hotel, commercial plaza, entertainment and an art and cultural centre - can move in.

Such generosity. I'm sure that the owner has found suitable alternative property for the tennents.

[bulmercke]

Nowadays - or has it always been this way - why does "change for the best" always appear IMHO to be change for the worse.

Suan Lum is a perfect example: knocking down nice restaurants, souvenir and gift shops with lovely and attractive things for sale, a concert arena and a vast and inexpensive dining area to make way for some ghastly office - retail complex!

Why don't we ever hear news about places like Siam Paragon - the Emporium and Central World Plaza being bull-dozed to make way for small restaurants, bars, small privately owned shops, play-grounds and parks?

[srs]

I liked the "beergarden" at Suan Lum very much.

Personally I don't care so much about the shops but do you guys know something similar to the beergarden at another place in Bangkok?

Any similar alternatives?

Live music, lots of food outside, people watching, same atmosphere?

[billp]

My Thai friends have taken me to several places. One of them was Green II on Songprapa Road in Don Muang. Huge place with great food, hot and cold running beer girlies, and a row of karaoke booths to one side where groups can gather and warble to their hearts' content without putting everyone else off their dinner. I think there are quite a few of these sorts of places on the fringe of Bangkok where the land is comparitively cheap.

[billp]

Suan Lum is a perfect example: knocking down nice restaurants, souvenir and gift shops with lovely and attractive things for sale, a concert arena and a vast and inexpensive dining area to make way for some ghastly office - retail complex!

Suan Lum was always supposed to have been an interim use for a prime piece of property until the development was ready, not a permanent fixture. How do you know it's going to be "ghastly?" Have you seen the plans? Maybe it will be beautiful.

[PadThaiGuy]

Nowadays - or has it always been this way - why does "change for the best" always appear IMHO to be change for the worse.

Suan Lum is a perfect example: knocking down nice restaurants, souvenir and gift shops with lovely and attractive things for sale, a concert arena and a vast and inexpensive dining area to make way for some ghastly office - retail complex!

Why don't we ever hear news about places like Siam Paragon - the Emporium and Central World Plaza being bull-dozed to make way for small restaurants, bars, small privately owned shops, play-grounds and parks?

Knocking down a bunch of corregated steel, souvineer shacks and eliminating the noise pollution emanating from that stage every nite is a good thing.

[backflip]

Who cares who either owns or controls the land on which Suan Lum night market is situated? All of the "nod, nod, wink, wink, poke, poke" is laughable. You're acting as a bunch of giggly schoolgirls. Too, why does anyone believe that mentioning that the Crown Treasury is the lessor would cause the thread to be vanquished. You're downright silly. There's a fiduciary responsibility to develop the land to its fullest potential. Selling souvenirs and cheap food is not the best use for this property.

[Prakanong]

Who cares who either owns or controls the land on which Suan Lum night market is situated? All of the "nod, nod, wink, wink, poke, poke" is laughable. You're acting as a bunch of giggly schoolgirls. Too, why does anyone believe that mentioning that the Crown Treasury is the lessor would cause the thread to be vanquished. You're downright silly. There's a fiduciary responsibility to develop the land to its fullest potential. Selling souvenirs and cheap food is not the best use for this property.

I agree but evening mentioning published works available widely in Thailand ie academic work not banned and sold in most bookshops, about what the CPB owns and earns is not allowed on this site - up to them but the self censorship is their forte

[kevc]

Selling souvenirs and cheap food is not the best use for this property.

Yeah your right, lets tear down all the tourist attractions that make Bangkok special and build some more lovely plastic sanitised shopping malls that no one ever visits (do people actually shop at Gaysorn Plaza) or do they all just use it as an air condition short cut to Pratunam.

[quiksilva]

Well said backflip, the property is nowhere near its highest and best use.

[steveromagnino]

Selling souvenirs and cheap food is not the best use for this property.

Yeah your right, lets tear down all the tourist attractions that make Bangkok special and build some more lovely plastic sanitised shopping malls that no one ever visits (do people actually shop at Gaysorn Plaza) or do they all just use it as an air condition short cut to Pratunam.

hold up, so now you are going to try to make a case that the Suan Lum night bazaar which has only be in existance for like 6 years, and was a mess for the first 2 is essential to BKK???

In the words of Homey D Clown 'I don't think so'

There is Jatujact, there are other potential markets like Pratunam and in the meantime, the age of the temporary semi slum like maze at Suan Lum has reached an end.

FYI Gaysorn Plaza is actually fairly successful - successful enough that the major brands all have renewed leases anyhow; no Bangkok probably does not need another one, but financially, for Central, they would like to get a piece of that luxury brand action, and a piece of the office market in Sathorn; currently they have neither.... can you blame the landlord for wanting a profitable tenant rather than the semi insolvent one? (at the time of the tender, the market was a total mess).

If you think you can make money developing an open air market, plenty of land available to have a shot; mostly they don't work because they encourage lots of window shoppers, and not much actual shopping.....they are low rise so they don't use the site effectively for maximum leaseable area and many people refuse to go to open airs anyhow; they are hot and smelly.

Just because Paragon and Central are next to each other, doesn't mean there should not be another mall on say the Mahatun Plaza site if a third competitor came in wanting a piece of the pie. Competition is a good thing.

Or should we go to back to a controlled economy, with 1 shopping centre, 1 telephone company, and centralised planning? Seems a bit of a backwards step to me.

Swings and roundabouts innit. (Amazing fun park aiaght).

[geriatrickid]

Wasn't the best use for the land and those that have actually been into the vendor stalls and walked those corridors will know that it was an unsafe fire trap. This is a prime location and outside of normal shop hours was empty. Putting a clean, up to date facility in place with housing better serves the local community needs. OK, so some people will miss the beer garden. Well that's a massive blow to civilization; a big noisy outdoor bar goes away. As pointed out, the landowners have an obligation to develop the land in the best interests of the local residents, which means housing and local services. Yes I will miss buying my bed spreads and some clothes there, but I can go to another market and get the same thing.