Bangkok Port may close for casino-free entertainment complex
Transport minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn proposes closing Bangkok Port, reserving 20% of its Khlong Toei site for housing and using the rest commercially
- Thailand's Transport Minister has proposed closing Bangkok Port to redevelop its land into a casino-free entertainment complex.
- The proposal is justified by the inefficiency of operating two major ports (Bangkok and Laem Chabang) and the traffic problems caused by port-related lorries in the city.
- The redevelopment plan would allocate 20% of the 2,353-rai site for new housing and facilities for over 40,000 local community residents.
- A previous masterplan for the site also included mixed-use commercial development, a cruise ship terminal, a medical hub, and a new port authority headquarters.
Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn has proposed closing Bangkok Port and redeveloping its Khlong Toei site as a casino-free entertainment complex, arguing that Thailand should not operate two major cargo ports simultaneously.
Phiphat outlined the policy after inspecting the Port Authority of Thailand (PAT) and issuing operational guidelines to the state enterprise.
He said running both Bangkok Port and Laem Chabang Port consumed unnecessary public funds, personnel and management resources.
Bangkok Port’s location in the capital also created logistics and traffic problems because large numbers of lorries had to travel into the city centre, he said. At the same time, large cargo vessels were increasingly less likely to use the port.
Phiphat therefore proposed ending operations at Bangkok Port and using the land for a casino-free entertainment complex.
Community housing to take 20% of the site
The Transport Ministry and PAT will consult residents of Khlong Toei communities who could be affected by the proposal.
Phiphat said that, if the port’s operations could eventually be relocated, the entire site should be redeveloped to deliver the greatest possible benefit.
Part of the land would be reserved for new housing for existing communities, while the remainder would be developed commercially.
The preliminary plan would allocate 20% of the 2,353-rai site, equivalent to about 376.5 hectares in total, for housing and facilities serving local residents.
“The Bangkok Port development plan must provide new housing for more than 40,000 people, or about 12,600 households, together with comprehensive facilities, including residential buildings, public parks, playgrounds, schools, childcare centres and a community hospital, to improve the quality of life of people in the area,” Phiphat said.
Earlier study divided land into five development areas
PAT previously studied the redevelopment of the Bangkok Port site. Its most recent cited study, completed in 2019, covered all 2,353 rai.
The study included mixed-use commercial development, a Smart Community housing project for Khlong Toei residents and a terminal for large cruise ships to support tourism.
The masterplan, valued at more than 100 billion baht, divided the site into five development areas:
- Development Area A: A new PAT headquarters and privately leased office buildings, housing projects, a medical hub, other office buildings, a Smart Community, welfare housing for PAT employees, rental housing and retail mixed-use development.
- Development Area B: A semi-automated Smart Port, an eastern container terminal and a coastal cargo terminal.
- Development Area C: A cruise terminal, retail mixed-use development, office buildings, duty-free retail space, a hotel, commercial space, a parking building, a training centre, an exhibition centre and a utilities building.
- Development Area X: Warehouses, e-commerce offices, lorry parking and land leased by PTT.
- Development Area G: A sports complex and public park.
