Developers Rushing Into Khao Yai Area

[webfact]

NAKHON RATCHASIMA
Developers rushing into Khao Yai area
The Nation

Land use restrictions coming soon

NAKHON RATCHASIMA: -- Concern over the new Nakhon Ratchasima land-use plan has developers racing to launch projects in the Khao Yai mountain resort area, with 4,650 units recorded in 2012-13, according to Colliers International Thailand.

The research house said recently that if the final master plan were the same as the draft, it would limit building area and building appliances, which would directly hit the Khao Yai property market.

Prices of existing residential projects are expected to rise if there are building restrictions in the area. Although the Department of Public Works and Town and Country Planning has accepted requests from those affected to revise this provision, developers and landowners are still monitoring the situation closely, senior manager Surachet Kongcheep said.

Cha-am, Hua Hin, Pattaya, Phuket and Bang Saen are places for people looking to spend time by the beach, while Khao Yai offers a hilly, green atmosphere with fresh air. For 15-20 years, Khao Yai has been one of the most popular holiday and weekend retreat destinations. Famous and successful businesspeople, celebrities and politicians have purchased land in the area around Khao Yai National Park. Older Thais and retirees enjoy the area because of its cooler weather for much of the year compared with Bangkok.

In the past few years, many residential projects were launched in Khao Yai, some of which belonged to well-known developers. More than 550 residential units were launched and completed last year and about 100 units were launched in the first three months of this year.

Khao Yai has become the location for luxury houses and villas but many condominium projects were also introduced during the past few years. Nearly 700 units at five condo projects were launched last year in the area along Thanarat Road, which was the highest number on record.

The area along Phan Suek-Kud Khla Road also broke a record last year, with more than 470 units launched, mostly in two condo projects from Sansiri. While only about 80 units were launched in the area along the road to Wang Nam Kheow district last year, the number skyrocketed to nearly 390 units in the first three months in this year.

The average take-up rate of condos in Khao Yai was 73 per cent. The area along Thanarat Road had the highest rate at 77 per cent - higher than the 76 per cent along Khao Yai-Wang Nam Kheow Road and nearly 60 per cent along Phan Suek-Kud Khla Road.

The average selling price in the area along Khao Yai-Wang Nam Kheow Road was the highest at nearly Bt80,000 per square metre, and Bt68,900 along Phan Suek-Kud Khla Road, the lowest in the Khao Yai area. It was Bt74,000 on both sides of Thanarat Road.

"The average price for houses and villas in the area on both sides of Khao Yai-Wang Nam Kheow Road was the highest in the Khao Yai area at around Bt16 million, as most of the house and villa projects in this area are located near golf courses and lux?ury resorts where buyers get privileges at the facilities," Surachet said.


-- The Nation 2013-04-05

[chainarong]

Probably end up trashy like most of their resort area's

[Katipo]

Probably end up trashy like most of their resort area's

Sad, but true

[hookedondhamma]

Such a beautiful area; everything is always changing, unfortunately :-/

[hellodolly]

My Thai Geography is not good at all. But isn't this the place the government just announced will be the end of the rapid transit bullet trains.

Of course they are planning on going farther with private enterprise paying the way.

[Locationthailand]

The developments will continue without any adhering to any building code and more shop house eyesores of the traditional concrete jungle mentality.

[onflipflops]

The land prices will rise?

I'm living in the area (renting a very little room) and the prices for plots of land are already very, very high. I can't imagine it will go up even more.

Many plots of lands have been for sale for years, and nobody can buy it, because the prices are ridiculous.

Though, with all the Ferraris, Bentley's, Porsche, top Mercedes models that I see driving through the street on a daily basis, there might be a market...

Not sure if I want to live in a high-so area, though the beautiful jungle of the national park makes it all worth it.

Recently, I read in somebody's post in reply to a forum question about starting your own hotel/ guesthouse, that Thais don't spend as much as foreigners on holidays. But I seriously doubt that! You won't see any Thais in cheap hotels. They have short holidays, and want luxury that they don't have at home.

[Card]

My Thai Geography is not good at all. But isn't this the place the government just announced will be the end of the rapid transit bullet trains.

Of course they are planning on going farther with private enterprise paying the way.

No. It passes nearby but bypasses the area. The nearest town to Khao yai national park is Pak Chong. I've bought into the area with a time share with www.BotanicaCondo.com, without realising the effect it might have on the surrounding countryside. However it is the only development that has EIA approval although I don't know how much that matters. They've all sold out now but Greenery resort to which it is affiliated is about to build another development aimed at Chinese and Russians (they failed miserably when they targeted Botanica to farangs as there are only about 4 units bought by them..

[HerbalEd]

Probably end up trashy like most of their resort area's

You're seeing the wrong resorts. Most of the one's I've seen are quite nice.

[DeepInTheForest]

Wonder what the end game of the human species will be? A minority of us living the high life, in estates secluded from the noise and strife of the hoi-polloi... Enjoying the status view of a greatly-diminished nature, as global warming and increased population push water and other natural system services to the limits... ? Or will we come to our senses before then?

It would seem that a property bubble is in the making in this area. Unavoidable, I suppose, in this case.

The master plan would seem to be a good idea, if it is trying to limit development to specified areas. It would be nice to see details of that plan, rather than sketchy summaries.

The story mentioned golf courses. They are a spectacularly bad idea in the tropics, because of the pesticides and water required. Sometimes entire streams are diverted-- stolen from the locals, basically-- to feed the turf.

"The Golden Valley Golf & Country Club designed by Jack Nicklaus allegedly encroached on the famous Khao Yai National Park, with developers dynamiting a hill in the park to join two roads. A number of golf courses in the country have allegedly trespassed on protected forest areas and national parks."

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&ved=0CD8QFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.twnside.org.sg%2Ftitle2%2Fttcd%2FTA-06.doc&ei=lx1fUdf_Fub22AW9-ICoAg&usg=AFQjCNFitUmseAh4_KR3C2sDJMSmBC-sdg&bvm=bv.44770516,d.b2I

The Global Anti-Golf Movement's manifesto can be read and pondered here:

http://www.antigolf.org/english.html

The ongoing Donald Trump imbroglio in Scotland comes to mind, of course.

Edited April 5, 2013 by DeepInTheForest