Waterfront condominium in Pattaya, which dominates Bali Hai pier, is slated for demolition, but the owners have filed a surprising request to resume construction of the Waterfront Condo building on Bali Hai Pier.
The 53-storey condominium at the entrance to Bali Hai Pier has been abandoned for years since 2014, and authorities issued a legal demolition order against the building’s owners last September.
In November, Pattaya Mayor Sonthaya Khunploem vowed that the government would demolish the building and bill Bali Hai Company for it, as they filed for bankruptcy after all the lawsuits arose from the construction disputes.
But now the Bali Hai construction company has requested to resume construction of the building and has proposed some solutions to the problems that have halted the progress of the project.
The project came under fire from environmental groups and locals who claimed the building was illegal and blocked the popular Pattaya Hill viewpoint and a memorial to the Prince of Chumphon.
The builders insist that all permits are completely legal.
The Bali Hai Construction has offered to demolish the top 8 floors of the condo building to clear the blocked view, though opponents say the view isn’t clearing enough.
They also promise to build roads that connect to nearby roads to diffuse traffic, as Pattaya City officials say the building creates traffic because it doesn’t connect to roads and encroaches on public land.
The builders deny the latter claim, as the degradation depends on whether the front of the building is measured by its distance from the sea or from the end of the pier, as the results of many a debate have shown.
Even with those issues resolved, it’s still questionable whether the building permit can even be legally approved, given that there are dozens of pending lawsuits from tenants who prepaid for apartments in the building that never materialized, not to mention the demolition orders that were approved a year ago already.
Online reactions to the proposal to resume construction on the condominium building have been reviled as an eyesore, have been overwhelmingly negative, with some local environmental groups vowing to file additional lawsuits if the Bali Hai Construction Company is allowed to reopen. build.
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credit TPN
