Nirat Pongsitthaworn, while he was still Phuket Governor earlier this week, chaired a meeting at Provincial Hall with local officials, business leaders and executives from the Gardens of Eden project to discuss development of the beachfront site in Cherng Talay.
The proposed project would create a public park featuring landscaped green space, recreation areas, parking and public toilets, with officials and the private sector agreeing that no permanent buildings are currently planned.
The governor said the development would proceed transparently and in accordance with all legal requirements.
“Everything is on the table. There is no talking under the table,” Mr Nirat said during the meeting.
According to officials, the land is designated as public land and may be improved for public use, though construction of permanent structures would require additional legal approvals and public consultation.
Provincial authorities estimate that legal procedures required for some aspects of the project may take three to six months, while landscaping and initial site improvements could begin sooner.
Gardens of Eden executives told the meeting the company was prepared to support the project financially, following previous contributions toward beach clean-up and improvement works in the area.
Phuket Province has already spent about B12 million on preliminary improvements, while other major private-sector groups, including Laguna and Central, have also expressed interest in supporting development of the site, officials said.
LAND DISPUTE
The proposal concerns land long known as one of Phuket’s most contentious land ownership cases.
The area, commonly referred to as the Layan land case, was the subject of years of court battles over claims to approximately 178 rai of beachfront land.
In 2022, then-Department of Special Investigation (DSI) Director-General Traiyarit Temhiwong travelled to Phuket to reaffirm that the Supreme Court had already ruled the land was state property.
“At the judgment it is clearly stated that the land in that area is public domain land,” Mr Traiyarit said at the time.
The land was estimated by authorities to be worth tens of billions of baht due to its prime beachfront location.
Despite the court rulings, investigations continued into how land documents had been issued and whether officials or private individuals had illegally claimed rights over portions of the site.
The case formed part of wider investigations into historic land corruption scandals in Phuket involving allegations of illegally issued title deeds, forged land documents and unlawful claims over public and protected land.
PUBLIC PARK
Officials this week said converting the area into a public park would not only provide additional green space but also help prevent future encroachment attempts.
Mr Nirat instructed relevant agencies to jointly plan infrastructure including drainage, utilities, safety systems and access roads before work proceeds.
The project is being promoted as a long-term effort to secure public use of the land while creating a new recreational area for residents and visitors.
The latest proposal marks another attempt to finally determine the future of a site that has spent decades in legal disputes and investigations, but which provincial officials now hope can become one of Phuket’s largest public beachfront parks.