The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) yesterday began demolishing what remains of Bang Lamphu department store in Phra Nakhon district. The move is a rare victory in City Hall's fight against unsafe buildings in the capital.
Wasant Boonmuenwai, director of Phra Nakhon District Office said the demolition, which will be paid for by the developer and take eight months to complete, is part of a plan to improve the area's landscape and enhance building safety.
Located near Khao San Road, Bang Lamphu department store was built in 1983. Originally a three-storey shopping centre, over the years its developer illegally built on top of the original structure. By the time the developer was found guilty for building code breaches, eight more floors had been added to the mall.
The BMA sued the developer in court and in 1991, the Supreme Court ordered it to demolish the illegally added section, after which the owners initially complied. The victory did little to bolster public confidence in the area's safety, however, as the original three-storey mall remained standing despite its questionable structural integrity.
While the mall's demolition is a step in the right direction, the public shouldn't get their hopes up as this case is an exception rather than the rule.
While the BMA has managed to improve the landscape in many low-income communities, such as those along Bangkok's canals, it has repeatedly failed to act against large, commercial property developers which violate building codes. It needs to be mentioned that without the cooperation of the mall's owner, this demolition would have never been possible.
Bang Lamphu is notorious when it comes to building safety, as scores of commercial buildings in the area were built there in the early 1980s. As such, many of these structures didn't comply with the standards set out in the 1989 Buildings Act, with annexes and additional floors built without permits from authorities. As a result, building-related incidents, including fatal fires and structural collapses, were often reported in the area.
While many owners of substandard buildings in Bang Lamphu have been ordered to demolish additions which were not included in the original blueprints, enforcing the orders remain a challenge.
An obvious example is the New World Department Store in the same neighbourhood. Three decades ago, its owner was ordered to demolish the seven floors illegally added to the four-storey original structure. However, as the building was being demolished, it was also used as a market -- the mall was only permanently closed in 2004 after several people died when parts of the building caved in.
Despite its closure and subsequent neglect, the New World Department Store remains standing, with its ground floor -- which has since been turned into a fish pond -- attracting various tourist looking to explore the abandoned mall. Once in a while, the deserted department store will host a contemporary art show, thanks to its eerie atmosphere.
There are plenty of similar buildings in the area which are still in active use, but the BMA is doing very little to enforce building codes.
The BMA must be more stringent in issuing construction permits. While unruly developers deserve legal punishment for violating the law, they could not have done so without the help of corrupt officials. Such violations wouldn't happen if officials bothered to inspect projects in their areas, instead giving the developers free rein.
