Phuket Vice Governor Amnuay Pinsuwan chaired the meeting, held at the Phuket Merlin Hotel. Present were Rewat Areerob, President of the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation (PPAO), heads of government agencies and members of the public.
Leading the presentation of the construction design project were representatives from Ashram Silp Co Ltd, described in an official report as a “community and environmental architects company”.
The key aim of the project is to develop and conserve the site for public benefit, the report explained.
Phuket Provincial Prison was built 121 years ago, and was one of the oldest prisons in the country.
The prison, built during the period when Phraya Ratsadanupradit Mahitsaraphakdi (Khaw Sim Bee) was Governor or Monthon Phuket, originally covered a total area of 47 rai 3 ngan 34 square wah: 6 rai 1 ngan within the walls, and 41 rai 2 ngan 34 square wah outside the walls.
The project area for the public park is to cover about 33 rai and 21 square wah, the meeting was told yesterday.
In carrying out the project, the design strategy was determined as follows: to be a public space in the heart of the city to promote learning about history, to be a recreational area to promote urban health and be a place of spiritual comfort that promotes local and spiritual activities.
The park is to be flexible in its use and while serving as an “eco-tourism destination” and a green space for the city, including a forest restoration area, a centre is to be included for people to learn the history of the prison and Phuket Town.
As such, the elements discussed yesterday included the main entrance, parking, a museum building, an outdoor amphitheatre, a playground, a multi-purpose pavilion, a chedi, a plaza, an open-air museum, an eco-park, a tennis court, Buddha shrine, viewpoints, nature trails, motorcycle parking and indoor exercise areas.
The suggestions and feedback presented at the meeting yesterday are to be factored into the final design plan and presented to the public at a later date.
See also:
Old Phuket prison wall falls as eco-tourism development underway