Seafood restaurants in disputed Hua Hin beach area being dismantled

[rooster59]

Seafood restaurants in disputed Hua Hin beach area being dismantled

 

Image: Thai News Agency

 

Reports suggest that several restaurants in the disputed area of Hua Hin beach are finally being dismantled.

Officials from an alcohol protection group were there yesterday after complaints from the public and tourists that alcohol sales were continuing in violation of the law.

Officials found clear breaches of alcohol sale ordinances.

But it was noted that most of the large seafood restaurants that a court has decided are guilty of encroachment were being torn down.

The case has dragged on for many years.

 

Source: Thai News Agency

 

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2016-12-17

[NCC1701A]

"...after complaints from the public and tourists that alcohol sales were continuing in violation of the law."

 

 

I live in Hua Hin. That is a nice stretch of beach (location wise) those building are over. Must be worth 100's of millions of baht, as a very tiny beach front lot is for sale near me for 110 million baht.

 

The buildings to the left of the Soi that runs through the center of the photos are the local <deleted> bars. (I only know this because I read it on the internet) :)

 

The have been talking about leveling this whole area and building five star hotels and family friendly businesses.

 

 

[craigt3365]

I have mixed feelings about this.  On one hand, they were built illegally.  With under the table payments to do so and stay there.  On the other, they are a great place for tourists to visit and have a meal.  Maybe if they just made it legal and charged a decent rent. Money would go into the city's coffers that could be used to keep the other beaches clean.  What a mess. 

[trogers]

This stretch of beach is mine, passed on to me by my great grandfather... Ahhh the bliss of squatters... 

[Destiny1990]

4 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

I have mixed feelings about this.  On one hand, they were built illegally.  With under the table payments to do so and stay there.  On the other, they are a great place for tourists to visit and have a meal.  Maybe if they just made it legal and charged a decent rent. Money would go into the city's coffers that could be used to keep the other beaches clean.  What a mess. 

Well its about time to clean it up.

under  Thai  law it's totally impossible to declare beach overcrowding  structures legal and charge rent.

Thailand is smart for protecting its beachlines

Look at The Philippines alot of their beaches u can't even enter because they seem to be privately owned by hotels and individuals so making it impossible to visit a beach and or to even enter it...

[Familyaffairs]

Tourists complaining about having a drink with their meal ? , think not ! or just those holier than thou local morons ?

[craigt3365]

Just now, Familyaffairs said:

Tourists complaining about having a drink with their meal ? , think not ! or just those holier than thou local morons ?

Probably Thai tourists.

[elgordo38]

13 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

and family friendly businesses.

 

Would this be families with money wanting to move in??

[JustNo]

13 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

"...after complaints from the public and tourists that alcohol sales were continuing in violation of the law."

 

 

I live in Hua Hin. That is a nice stretch of beach (location wise) those building are over. Must be worth 100's of millions of baht, as a very tiny beach front lot is for sale near me for 110 million baht.

 

The buildings to the left of the Soi that runs through the center of the photos are the local whore bars. (I only know this because I read it on the internet) :)

 

The have been talking about leveling this whole area and building five star hotels and family friendly businesses.

 

 

 

'The have been talking about leveling this whole area and building five star hotels and family friendly businesses.'

I would personally love to see this. I too live here and have done for the best part of a decade, and that would be an improvement imo. Where will the sexpats go though .. I would say Pattaya but they would have to take the road and not the ferry 

There is another mini red light district so to speak over on Soi 80 that has been coming along over the years 

[smedly]

looks almost identical to walking street in Pattaya - there used to be a beach there too

[jayci]

If they build a 5 star hotel, you will at some point lose public access to the beach.

Sent from my Le X820 using Thaivisa Connect mobile app

[korkenzieher]

So you level the area tourists frequent, to build a hotel for tourists who are no longer going to come, because there is no area for them to frequent...

 

Hmm. Sum that one up Spock....

[khunPer]

6 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

I have mixed feelings about this.  On one hand, they were built illegally.  With under the table payments to do so and stay there.  On the other, they are a great place for tourists to visit and have a meal.  Maybe if they just made it legal and charged a decent rent. Money would go into the city's coffers that could be used to keep the other beaches clean.  What a mess. 

That's a very good point, as it's often not only black-&-white, but also a large variety of gray-scale. If you want tourists to come, there shall be something cozy and special Thai – beachfront seafood restaurants on posts stretching out in the sea can be a fine option – if it all end up  being too boring fine, and Central Festival and brand-name shops, it can be anywhere; and for that kind of holiday only, some other places may be more attractive for tourists than Hua Hin and Thailand...

 

It's the same story when cleaning the beaches for everything converting them back to nature. But tourists wants some restaurants, pubs, sun-chairs and umbrellas; it's a question of balance, and make some limited business legal, and let them pay a for all parties reasonable fee.

[Grubster]

It seems to me that the beach goes on for many kilos, why is that little speck so important to build on? Maybe because the tourists want to be where the action is or in this case was. I think taking away from what has brought the tourists in droves is not a good plan. Sterilizing Thailand has begun.  Good luck with your empty hotels.  I will feel bad for condo owners who will eventually be banned from renting at all when these hotels really start to suffer.

[Grubster]

6 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

I have mixed feelings about this.  On one hand, they were built illegally.  With under the table payments to do so and stay there.  On the other, they are a great place for tourists to visit and have a meal.  Maybe if they just made it legal and charged a decent rent. Money would go into the city's coffers that could be used to keep the other beaches clean.  What a mess. 

I agree and just can't understand why they can't charge some tax to pay for garbage receptacles, garbage pickup, beach groomers, life guards, toilets, etc. How hard could that be?  I love all the food stalls and vendors selling junk on the beach, thats why I go there. I want to have a shady spot with a comfy chair, and be waited on by the local vendors and I'm willing to pay for it. Most are I think.

[JustNo]

45 minutes ago, jayci said:

If they build a 5 star hotel, you will at some point lose public access to the beach.

Sent from my Le X820 using Thaivisa Connect mobile app
 

It is not hard to walk along the beach, and literally no more than 200 metres down the beach you find the Hilton Hotel, which in fact the OP pic is taken from. So another 5 star hotel is no problem as you can already walk up and down the beach passed the Hilton 

[louse1953]

1 hour ago, JustNo said:

 

'The have been talking about leveling this whole area and building five star hotels and family friendly businesses.'

I would personally love to see this. I too live here and have done for the best part of a decade, and that would be an improvement imo. Where will the sexpats go though .. I would say Pattaya but they would have to take the road and not the ferry 

There is another mini red light district so to speak over on Soi 80 that has been coming along over the years 

Don't worry about the blokes,they will just follow the girls anywhere.

[DrTuner]

Alcohol protection group. Samarn is having a field day finally being given the powwah to turn Thailand into a proper victorian society.

[Get Real]

Just tear it down, and end the wait for another year and more talk about the same thing. 

[NCC1701A]

1 hour ago, Grubster said:

It seems to me that the beach goes on for many kilos, why is that little speck so important to build on? Maybe because the tourists want to be where the action is or in this case was. I think taking away from what has brought the tourists in droves is not a good plan. Sterilizing Thailand has begun.  Good luck with your empty hotels.  I will feel bad for condo owners who will eventually be banned from renting at all when these hotels really start to suffer.

This beach is in "downtown" Hua Hin next to The Hilton and other 5 star hotels.

It is a prime location.

 

I sort of like the "funky" original Thai business on these piers. But what this article does not talk about are the old hotels on the piers here, with your room over the ocean and your new "rent a girlfriend" from across the street. Like most old construction in Thailand, they are death traps during a fire.

 

And it is a good thing for me that the Thais over build condos and houses, because rents are so dirt cheap. 

 

Another reason to live in Thailand.

 

[bokningar]

How hard can it bee.

Nock it down.

Try to follow the law, yes naive I know.

 

 

1. Area 1: No building is allowed up to 10 meters from the beach. The coastline or beach line is a moving line and often at the discretion of the Or Bor Tor who can choose more or less where it starts.
2. Area 2: Building of a single story house not exceeding a height of 6 meters with a total building area of up to 75 sq.m. is allowed up to 50 meters from the beach or coastline.
3. Area 3: Building of a building with a height of 12 meters and a ground floor or total building area of not more than 2000 sq.m.
4. Area 4: Any building of up to 12 meters can be built within an area of more than 200 meters from the beach.

[khunPer]

1 hour ago, bokningar said:

How hard can it bee.

Nock it down.

Try to follow the law, yes naive I know.

 

 

1. Area 1: No building is allowed up to 10 meters from the beach. The coastline or beach line is a moving line and often at the discretion of the Or Bor Tor who can choose more or less where it starts.
2. Area 2: Building of a single story house not exceeding a height of 6 meters with a total building area of up to 75 sq.m. is allowed up to 50 meters from the beach or coastline.
3. Area 3: Building of a building with a height of 12 meters and a ground floor or total building area of not more than 2000 sq.m.
4. Area 4: Any building of up to 12 meters can be built within an area of more than 200 meters from the beach.

These are the Koh Samui area regulations, that however are not that simple, as there also is so-called "city zones", where you can build up to 12 meters heigh, 2 meter inside own land from public area (beach and road, for example), 3 meter from water-front (sea), and ½ meter inside own land to neighbor plot when no openings/windows, or 1 meter if with openings/windows. That allows up to 4-story houses at the beach-front, if there's already an old village (like the cozy Fisherman Village at Bo Phut on Koh Samui). Furthermore there can be granted exceptions for larger projects like 5-star hotels and like build in more remote areas, where "city-zone" will not apply.

 

The rules also states that roof's shall be 70% (I think to remember) thai-style (not flat roofs), and roof color/tiles shall only be in natural "earth colors" – samples specified in the regulations – i.e. no blue roof plates; but a number of people at Samui seem to suffer from colorblindness...

 

In general, the rules have worked very well for Samui – originally they was that no building higher than the coconut palms were allowed, but that was changed to more specific 12-meters some years ago – but it's a question of balance, the right balance, if you want tourism. And that's the "great" thing with "city-zone" and other possibilities for exceptions.

 

You can also decide some areas to be quiet-zones, others as family-zones, and some for party-zones; in the last noisy bars and music venues can be allowed. It 's a question of finding a balance, just like it may be bad to convert the whole shopping area from cozy market stalls to up-class brand-name stores, which looks the same as any fancy airport terminal or hi-end shopping mall, and prices almost like any other same brand-name shops all over the World; because you have to justify a high land-price and attract "quality tourists" – the last I still haven't found a clear definition of, as it now seem not to be the flocks of Chinese "zero dollar" tourists after all.

[Grubster]

55 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

This beach is in "downtown" Hua Hin next to The Hilton and other 5 star hotels.

It is a prime location.

 

I sort of like the "funky" original Thai business on these piers. But what this article does not talk about are the old hotels on the piers here, with your room over the ocean and your new "rent a girlfriend" from across the street. Like most old construction in Thailand, they are death traps during a fire.

 

And it is a good thing for me that the Thais over build condos and houses, because rents are so dirt cheap. 

 

Another reason to live in Thailand.

 

Yes the cheap rent here is great, no need for a condo really. I don't see how they could ever get their money back on these rentals. I also like the old run down look, it adds too the experience, you are right about the fire hazard though. I do not like big glitzy hotels at all, nor do I like most of their clientele.

[Get Real]

33 minutes ago, khunPer said:

These are the Koh Samui area regulations, that however are not that simple, as there also is so-called "city zones", where you can build up to 12 meters heigh, 2 meter inside own land from public area (beach and road, for example), 3 meter from water-front (sea), and ½ meter inside own land to neighbor plot when no openings/windows, or 1 meter if with openings/windows. That allows up to 4-story houses at the beach-front, if there's already an old village (like the cozy Fisherman Village at Bo Phut on Koh Samui). Furthermore there can be granted exceptions for larger projects like 5-star hotels and like build in more remote areas, where "city-zone" will not apply.

 

The rules also states that roof's shall be 70% (I think to remember) thai-style (not flat roofs), and roof color/tiles shall only be in natural "earth colors" – samples specified in the regulations – i.e. no blue roof plates; but a number of people at Samui seem to suffer from colorblindness...

 

In general, the rules have worked very well for Samui – originally they was that no building higher than the coconut palms were allowed, but that was changed to more specific 12-meters some years ago – but it's a question of balance, the right balance, if you want tourism. And that's the "great" thing with "city-zone" and other possibilities for exceptions.

 

You can also decide some areas to be quiet-zones, others as family-zones, and some for party-zones; in the last noisy bars and music venues can be allowed. It 's a question of finding a balance, just like it may be bad to convert the whole shopping area from cozy market stalls to up-class brand-name stores, which looks the same as any fancy airport terminal or hi-end shopping mall, and prices almost like any other same brand-name shops all over the World; because you have to justify a high land-price and attract "quality tourists" – the last I still haven't found a clear definition of, as it now seem not to be the flocks of Chinese "zero dollar" tourists after all.

Yop! It´s very easy. Just nock it down.
There has been to long time overlooking all the encrouchment and other unlawful methods of aquireing business or land in Thailand. Good that they put back order in all the mega galactic chaos.
It´s just that easy. Nock the stuff down!

[wvavin]

This takes them decades to discover the encroachment. Extremely efficient!

[oldsailor35]

Do all these restaurants etc have proper sewerage and drainage to town facilities, or does it mostly go into the sea.

[amdy2206]

Good. Let people use the beach as that is what it is for - not businesses. Where is anyones right to take over the beaches? They are public property. If businesses need a site let them rent one properly, not take one.

[NickJ]

Dang it...no more 1000b crabs....

[Destiny1990]

1 hour ago, Get Real said:

Yop! It´s very easy. Just nock it down.
There has been to long time overlooking all the encrouchment and other unlawful methods of aquireing business or land in Thailand. Good that they put back order in all the mega galactic chaos.
It´s just that easy. Nock the stuff down!

Hopefully after Hua Hin the bulldozers move over to Pattaya Walking Street and do the exact same thing.

[Flyfish]

I also live in HH. It will be a shame to lose the piers,they are the last reminder of what HH used to be,a THAI fishing village/town.

these places are very popular with THAI people,and are a major attraction for THAI people visiting from BKK,and locals also. I would go so far as to say they are the number one attraction.

as a resident,I would be very sad to see them replaced with yet another "identkit" 5star hotel,although the "elite" will no doubt rub their hands in glee at bagging another high profile beachfront location.

am baffled as to what this debate has to do with "walking street", which is not,and has never been part of the redevelopment plans....more's the pity! That is one area that residents would applaud flattening !