BANGKOK: The Bangkok Port will not be moved away from the capital, but will instead be improved with a focus on vertical development to maximise the use of the land, the Transport Ministry announced on Monday (July 29).
The ministry was clarifying earlier reports that the port in Bangkok’s Khlong Toei district will be relocated in a bid to tackle issues among residents in the neighbourhood.
Responding to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s order, two more agencies have been tasked with studying the improvement project of Bangkok Port: the Office of the Council of State (OCS) and the National Economics and Social Development Council (NESDC), Deputy Transport Minister Manaporn Charoensri said.
The OCS and NESDC will work with the Port Authority of Thailand (PAT) in undertaking a feasibility study on vertical residential projects to accommodate communities around the port area, she said.
PAT has also been tasked with studying the development of commercial areas in the port, which span 2,353 rai (376 hectares), to support the logistics industry while minimising environmental impacts from port operations.
“The commercial areas in the port will feature mixed-use buildings, office buildings, and vertical residential buildings developed using the smart community approach,” she said. “Meanwhile, the port zone will be upgraded to accommodate large cruise ships to support the tourism sector, strengthening the Bangkok Port’s position as a logistics hub for transport operators along the Chao Phraya River.”
A news source said that the budget set out in PAT’s master plan for Bangkok Port development totals more than 100 billion baht. The development is divided into five zones, as follows:
Zone A: Port headquarters, rental office buildings, residential buildings, medical hub, mixed-use retail buildings
Zone B: Smart port, eastern freight cargo port
Zone C: Cruise terminal, office buildings, duty-free shops, hotels, retail space, parking lots, training centre, exhibition centre, and facility buildings
Zone G: Sport complex and public park
Zone X: Future development areas, including warehouses, e-commerce offices, and rental land for PTT - The Nation/ANN
