By Andrew Scott
The Aetas Hotel on Soi Ruam Rudi is facing the possibility of demolition, as its developers and former Bangkok governor Apirak Kosayodhin are accused of bending the law to build it.
The dispute between the residents of the soi near the Ploen Chit BTS Station and the developers dates back nearly 4 years.
On Sept 17, 2008 24 residents of Soi Ruam Rudi on Phloenchit Road filed a complaint with the court against then Bangkok governor Apirak Kosayodhin and the director of Pathum Wan district office, according to The Bangkok Post.
The complainants accused Apirak and the head of the district office of overstating the width of the soi in a certificate which allowed Larp Prathan Co and Thabthimthorn Co, the operators of the Aetas Bangkok Hotel, to build a larger building than was allowed by law.
The Central Administrative Court agreed with the residents and ordered the demolition of the hotel in early February 2012.
The court claimed construction of the building was in breach of the 1979 Building Control Act which aims to ensure public safety, public health, to prevent fire accidents, to preserve the environment, to maintain proper city planning and to ensure better traffic flow.
A lawyer representing the complainants Chaloempong Klabdee said that the law forbids the building of a large, tall building on a soi less than 10 meters wide, the Post reported. The story, however, did not mention the specific restrictions on height and area of buildings on such a soi.
The accusers have complained of increased traffic in the area due to the hotel.
Around Feb. 10, the court gave current Bangkok governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra and director of Pathum Wan district office have 60 days to comply with the order. If the building is to be demolished it will come at the expense of the building owner, designer, and those involved in construction.
Documents pertaining to the construction of the hotel implicate an assistant director of the Pathum Wan District Office, Chalor Jamroonkan, in telling developers Larp Prathan that the width of the soi was 10 metres in 2005, The Nation reported.
Surachet Worawongwasu, an executive of Larp Prathan Co did not agree with the court’s ruling and used as evidence a correspondence between the company and district office.
“Larp Prathan Co. wrote to the Pathum Wan district office to inquire about the road’s width and the office sent a written reply confirming the road was 10 metres wide” he said, according to the Post.
The Pathum Wan District Office and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration intend to use blueprints of the hotel to show they approved construction based on the information provided, according to another story in The Nation. If the blueprints show the District Office approved the soi length to be 10 metres wide for its entire length, the BMA are confident they will be cleared of any wrongdoing.
Issara Boonyoung, president of the Housing Business Association, said the Aetas Hotel saga would be a lesson for developers to make sure they comply with all regulations related to construction before breaking ground.
“Developers should measure the distance by themselves to make sure it is in line with regulations. There are many roads and sois in Bangkok which have the same problem,” he told the Post.
