Is there no alternative to demolishing 16 floors?
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Re: "BMA ready to order Aetas hotel demolition", National, December 4.
After a protracted dispute the Supreme Administrative Court ordered the high-rise Aetas owners to demolish the top 16 floors of their two hotel and service apartment buildings. Imagine the traffic chaos, noise, danger and pollution created by such major deconstruction. Wouldn’t an EIA be more critical in demolition vs building? As a long-time Ruamrudee resident, the Aetas (while wrongly built) supports and employs many local staff and provides neighbourhood services. Ruamrudee properties of similar size and especially on the five narrower sub-sois allow very limited access for emergency vehicles (where three schools and a church are located). I’m all for punitive action but challenge the residents, city authorities and developers to seek creative ways to compel the owners to contribute to the neighbourhood instead of the current “off with their heads” approach.
Jerry Feldman
