bumblebee Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Just read this on Stickman's weekly. If it comes to pass, what for the LB scene in Bangkok. With so much of the LB activity centered in this area, will Pattaya become even more popular as the LB lovers destination. "With rumours of Nana Plaza's demise 18 months from now gaining steam, discussion behind the scenes have taken place about the construction of a replacement complex to house all of the bars in the plaza. If Nana Plaza really does go, that would leave perhaps 1,500+ girls without employment. It's hard to see them being taken in by the bars in Cowboy and Patpong, and just as unlikely that there would be a mass exodus down the road to Pattaya. There is a realisation amongst Thais involved in, and who observe the industry that there is serious money to be made. Already at least two parties have been looking into possible locations for a new bar complex that is being referred to as Nana Plaza II. But there is a major problem that I cannot see being overcome. No new gogo bar licenses will be issued in the Nana (or Soi Cowboy) area. Several years back Bangkok was zoned with three entertainment zones drawn up - Patpong, RCA and Rachadapisek Road. These are the only places in all of Bangkok where one can apply for a new gogo bar licence. Bars in Cowboy and Nana can extend their existing gogo bar licenses but should it lapse or they forget to renew it (as happened at Coyote Apache in Cowboy), then a new one cannot be applied for and it is gone forever! What does all of this mean? If Nana Plaza does go, there is no chance of a replacement gogo bar complex opening up in the Nana area!" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deepthroat Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 BB, what is behind this? Seems like NP has to be a great moneymaker and a tourist destination that draws visitors and fills hotel rooms. What do they plan to replace it with - more tailer shops? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rxpharm Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 This subject has been well discussed on other boards - the main gist of the thinking is that NEP is on a prime piece of real estate and sooner or later the owners will sell to developers when the price is right. On the flip side of this are the owners of the hotels and businesses in the Sukhumvit area that realize that NEP is a big tourist draw and if it was replaced with another hotel, shopping plaza that business would drop. So the NEP owners are apparently being courted by the businesses to continue operations. Will be interesting to see what happens as the current Pheu Thai party will likely attempt to carry out the former Thai Rak Thai policy on "cleaning" up LOS and promote it as a family destination, rather than a sex tourist destination. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumblebee Posted September 4, 2011 Author Share Posted September 4, 2011 The latest speculation on the future of Nana from this week's Stickman Weekly. "Speculation about Nana Plaza's future is hotting up even though the current leases have 16 months remaining. Yep, it seems some people really are that crazy about the plaza! Anyway, to confirm a few facts, the seller has raised the asking price from 850,000 baht a square wah to a cool million baht! One group which has shown interest in the land is a public land company and they certainly do not want to get their hands dirty being landlord to the type of businesses that are currently there. However when looking at other options for the land, there is an argument that it isn't viable to develop a condo because of the constraints outlined in the Building Control Act which limits the height of the building based on the width of the entrance and the size of the land, as well as how far the plot is from the main road. What this means is that the maximum area a condo development on the Nana Plaza plot could be is 30,000 square metres which, I am told, just wouldn't make it economically viable. There are other options and the possibility of a hotel replacing the plaza is an option still being explored." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownLoLarry Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 asking price from 850,000 baht a square wah to a cool million baht! BB's post prompted me to look up what's a wah. 1 Wah = 4 Square Meters = 42.7 Square Feet 1,000 Wah = 2.5 Rai = 1 Acre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kahuna Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 What this means is that the maximum area a condo development on the Nana Plaza plot could be is 30,000 square metres which, I am told, just wouldn't make it economically viable. There are other options and the possibility of a hotel replacing the plaza is an option still being explored." I've posted elsewhere that the property does not seem large enough to me to build anything that would be economically viable...That probably won't stop the Thais from trying though...They surely need another empty hotel... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiamSam Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 This is all silly speculation. Nana Plaza, the hotels, and the restaurants in the area evolved together. One cannot exist successfully without the other. Any business person worth their salt would quickly ascertain the NEP property ain't worth a rat's ass if there are no tourists there to use it. If you remove NEP as we know it, I doubt wholesome farang families seeking Thailand Disney World will replace the business presently generated by the rest of us holesome farangs. But then again, this is Thailand and what the hell do I know. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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