The old Government Lottery Office on Ratchadamnoen Avenue will be redeveloped as a new tourism landmark in honour of King Rama IX, with most of it underground. (Bangkok Post file photo)
A new landmark tourism area, mostly underground and to be called Lan Chalerm Phra Kiat in honour of His Majesty King Rama IX, will be built in the Ratchadamnoen area.
This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister Pridiyathorn Devekula, who chaired a meeting of the committee for the management of special areas around Ratchadamnoen Avenue on Wednesday.
MR Pridiyathorn said it was agreed at the meeting to forge ahead with the Lan Chalerm Phra Kiat project.
It would be a four storey structure, to be built largely underground where the old premises of the Government Lottery Office on Ratchadamnern Avenue are located.
The GLO building would be replaced with a garden and activities area, with all the rest underground. The second and third floors would be for exhibitions in honour of HM the King, and the bottom level for car parking.
MR Pridiyathorn said the next step is a design for the project. When completed it will be forwarded to the committee for the conservation and development of the Rattanakosin area for consideration. If the committee agrees, it will be forwarded to the cabinet for approval.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will be responsible for the construction of the project.
The Lan Chalerm Phra Kiat project was originally included in the masterplan for the development of the Ratchadamnoen Avenue and adjacent areas.
The project had been initiated and considered by many past governments but no concrete progress had been made.
The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) dusted off the project for further implementation under a project «to study, analyse, and suggest ways of preserving, renovating and developing historical areas in the Ratchadamnoen area».
Originally, there were nine projects under the masterplan for the development of the Ratchadamnoen area between 2008-2012 with a total budget of 1.69 billion baht.
They were: the design and construction of Lan Chalerm Phra Kiat, 566 million baht; the development of Maha Jessadabodin pavilion, 6.5 million baht; an underground tunnel underneath Ratchadamnoern Avenue, 107 million baht; the improvement of landscapes along the Ratchadamnoen Klang road, 387 million baht; the refurbishment of buildings along the Ratchadamnoen Klang road, 431 million baht; the refurbishment of buildings around the Democracy Monument, 48.5 million baht; an underground tunnel between Lan Chalerm Phra Kiat and Sanam Luang, 28 million baht; the development of Khao San road, 81 million baht; and, the development of an area behind the Ratchadamnoen building, 62.4 million baht.
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