Planned devastation of Nai Harn Beach

[webfact]

Phuket's 'Hollywood Museum' on hold over plan to fell beachfront trees
The Phuket News


Construction at the site on the Nai Harn beachfront has been halted until a public hearing has been held. Photo: MOTS Phuket

PHUKET: -- A plan to cut down trees on the Nai Harn beachfront to make way for a large a stage prop tourist attraction has been put on hold until the project has been explained “again” to local residents, Santi Pawai, the director of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports Phuket office, confirmed today (Nov 10).

The tourist attraction, currently nicknamed the “Hollywood Museum”, is to commemorate major feature films shot on location on and around Phuket with large stage props replicating famous scenes from the internationally known movies.

The project, approved by Rawai Municipality, has been allocated a budget of B40 million.

Work at the site began a few days ago, with trees on the beachfront slated to be cut down marked with red rope, but an outpouring of complaints has forced the project to stop, Mr Santi told The Phuket News today.

“Maybe some people misunderstand the construction planned for this project,” Mr Santi said. “It will not be a building or a permanent structure. It will just be stage props that reproduce scenes from major, well-known movies.

“The contract for construction actually started in October, but now construction has been delayed until

until all details are explained again to the people as soon as possible. Then, the project will be continued. Hopefully, it will be finished within six months,” Mr Santi said.

Full story: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-hollywood-museum-on-hold-over-plan-to-fell-beachfront-trees-54903.php


-- Phuket News 2015-11-11

[taff33]

Not permanent structures it's permanent when the trees are cut down.

[steelepulse]

Nobody wants this except the guy accepting the envelopes. Isn't this Wat land? Put it in the middle of Phuket Town. On the shorefront of one of the nicest beaches, for flocks sake, how can any government body be so stupid ( greed of course)?

40 million for some open air stages, sounds like 5 million max for construction, 35 million for the black hole.

Edited November 11, 2015 by steelepulse

[overherebc]

Instead of cutting down trees and putting up some tacky hollywood stupid plastic <deleted> idiotic something that will look like crap anyway why not put in some well made walkways with bench areas where people could walk, talk and take break.

Oops forgot about the hoards of chinese 'lets take a selfie' with this totally unrealistic looking model of Leonardo.

Meanwhile my friend can go for a p-ss behind the tree and I can spit on the sidewalk after taking the selfie.

Am I being too harsh here.?????

[steveyinasia]

I think most comments here about how a stupid idea comes into light here in Thailand are correct, its all about the $$$$$$$$

[hansgruber]

This can't be for real. What a terrible idea and someone should intervene to stop this.

[Enoon]

Someone could try to "explain again" to Khun Santi that "Big Yellow Taxi" was intended as a warning, not a development plan.

Unfortunately he would just smile and agree and.......carry on. Avaricious P***k.

[grumpyoldman]

Seems it wasn't so long ago that the government was set on returning the beaches to their natural state. But alas, the power of the envelope seems to top that as the stakes are out at Nai Harn beach and some 30+ beautiful trees that provide shade and bird nesting are to be cut down for a movie museum.

The monks at Wat Nai Harn have wrapped their robes around the doomed trees as they feel these trees helped limit the damage to their Wat during the tsunami.

How ignorant are the people proposing this? Are the roads to Nai Harn Beach not clogged enough that now we'll have double the amount of tour busses making things even worse? Why not put this museum out on Wichit near the Sea Shell museum where there is easy access and a ton of parking?

Shame on you Mayor, shame.

Sorry everybody, (reason for edit) I do see it running here already, but this one really chaps Grumpy's hide, big time.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/869819-phukets-hollywood-museum-on-hold-over-plan-to-fell-beachfront-trees/

Edited November 11, 2015 by grumpyoldman

[steelepulse]

>> the power of the envelope

There you have it. A certain local politician has been publicly charged with misuse of funds over the building of a pier ( a measly 3 million baht unaccounted for, small potatoes) as well as illegally issuing building permits to a known property development offender. The guy has to raise funds from somewhere to fight these charges and since all the usual envelopes have dried up, new envelopes have to be found......from somewhere.

Reading in PW the local vendors will be setting up a protest the minute anyone tries to do something, but who knows if they will be around to protest at 2 am.

This is a complete and utter <deleted> that seriously reeks of corruption.

[DonaldBattles]

The damn fools at the OBT should do what they are supposed to and clean up the mess that they have left behind at Nai Harn. If they try to put this museum there then people should start a big public protest to stop it. Having had prior association with the OBT I know how money hungry they are. What a crime!

[Old Croc]

It's an International Movie Memorabilia Museum, not a "Hollywood Museum"!

The two British Bond films made in the region would belay this Hollywood terminology. This sort of incorrect, hysterical reporting does little to help the real issue, which is the ludicrous proposed location on the beachfront.

The reasoning is that it would bring more tourists to one of the Island's less popular beaches!!

I really don't think a procession, and parking, of a fleet of buses carrying hundreds of non beach going package tourists to this area makes any sense whatever.

A much better, and cheaper, proposal would be to site it next to the Shell Museum. It would benefit both facilities.

[NamKangMan]

I hope the monks "blockade" the bulldozers.

Edited November 11, 2015 by NamKangMan

[Gregory Morozov]

The most likely scenario is that they will cut the trees down at night. The only recourse I see is if a lot of people will make enough noise about this on YouTube, YouLike etc. It might work and is worth trying...

[chilli42]

A truly moronic tourist attraction concept. The locals should burn it down if it ever gets built. Things like this are an insult to the country.

[NamKangMan]

It's an International Movie Memorabilia Museum, not a "Hollywood Museum"!

The two British Bond films made in the region would belay this Hollywood terminology. This sort of incorrect, hysterical reporting does little to help the real issue, which is the ludicrous proposed location on the beachfront.

The reasoning is that it would bring more tourists to one of the Island's less popular beaches!!

I really don't think a procession, and parking, of a fleet of buses carrying hundreds of non beach going package tourists to this area makes any sense whatever.

A much better, and cheaper, proposal would be to site it next to the Shell Museum. It would benefit both facilities.

"It's an International Movie Memorabilia Museum, not a "Hollywood Museum"!" - after it's built, how long do you think before it's turned into something else?

[hansgruber]

Id like to see the roi forecasts. The entry fees etc.

Could make for a good laugh if its even been done at all.

[madmitch]

This beach destruction was mooted some time ago. I remember commenting on it but can't remember the source, so if I knew about it, other people must have known as well.

I'm glad that this has properly come into the open in time to avoid the destruction of the natural environment, and I hope it's not a temporary halt.

As many have said, the only reason for an "attraction" such as this would be money. Move it elsewhere or better still scrap the whole project (impossible, I know, as money will already have changed hands).

On one hand trying (abysmally) to bring the beaches back to their natural state and on the other hand coming up with projects like this. Clueless!

[Pinot]

Taking down trees on Kamala Beach doesn't seem to be a problem for the Montazure development. The last long stretch of virgin forest is being routed. This is a development which would never be allowed in the West. It's an environmental rape of Kamala Beach. And their literature touts it as "sustainable" development. I love how all the web sites of these many projects always throw in these "green" words while the devastation of Phuket continues.

[grumpyoldman]

"been put on hold until the project has been explained “again” to local residents"

“Maybe some people misunderstand the construction planned for this project,” - Mr Santi

Not even close Mr. Santi, we all understand and nobody wants this other than the people receiving money from the Chinese tour companies (and others). Clearly you don't care about the natural state of the beach, nor those trees that live and breathe and provide a shaded park area for all to enjoy.

Please explain to us if you will the impact of the tour buses on the roads to get to this attraction and that we all clearly understand that YOU understand how those buses will impact traffic in the area.

Just don't put it there. Up by the big parking lot at Cape Phromthep? Out on Wichit by the Seashell Museum as mentioned by many? Plenty of places other than current bonehead proposal.

[bubblegum]

I don't see any follow up news ! Weird because through facebook I learned that the plan was voted out last night. Good !

[stevenl]

I don't see any follow up news ! Weird because through facebook I learned that the plan was voted out last night. Good !

That does not mean it won't come though, that meeting yesterday had no voting rights. I do hope it did send a message though.

[bubblegum]

It did have voting rights, and they blew it of