Demolition order for Ruamrudee hotels repeated

The Aetas Bangkok and Aetas Residence on Ruamrudee Road in Bangkok are far higher than zoning laws allow. (Photo by Thaweechai Thawatpakorn)

The Central Administrative Court on Friday repeated its order for the partial demolition of the 3-billion-baht Aetas Bangkok and Aetas Residence hotels on Soi Ruamrudee in Bangkok for breaching a height limit.

The court ordered the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and the Pathumwan district office to reduce the number of floors of the 24-storey Aetas Bangkok and the 18-storey Aetas Residence to eight. The move is necessary to meet the 23-metre building height limit for a road that is less than 10 metres wide under the building control law.

The two luxury properties have 423 rooms, and the Aetas Residence also has serviced apartments.

Twenty-four residents on Soi Ruamrudee asked the court early last month to order the execution of the demolition order issued by the Supreme Administrative Court on Oct 30, 2014 for the partial demolition, as the hotels were continuing to offer services since their opening in 2010 despite the court ruling.

The complainants included Royal Household doctor Songkram Sapcharoen and Grand Chamberlain Khwankeo Vajarodaya.

Earlier, the Pathumwan district office ordered an end to the use of the buildings but the demolition had not begun and the owners of the hotels petitioned against the action.

The Central Administrative Court on Friday overruled the petition, citing the ruling of the Supreme Administrative Court.

However, the Central Administrative Court did not plan to impose any fine or seek disciplinary action against the director of the district and the Bangkok governor because both did not appear to intentionally defy the court's ruling.

The same court rejected the hotel owners' petition that the road was not wide enough because of other cases of encroachment. It stated that the Supreme Administrative Court ruling was final and it was concluded during the trial that Soi Ruamrudee was less than 10 metres wide.

Surveys found some sections of the road were slightly wider than nine metres.

Local residents have opposed the construction since the development began in 2005. They lodged a complaint accusing former Pathumwan district chief Surakiat Limcharoen and former Bangkok governor Apirak Kosayodhin of negligence in approving the project.

Earlier the Central Administrative Court dismissed a complaint filed by Lappratan Co, the owner of Aetas Residence, and Taptimthorn Co, the owner of Aetas Bangkok, that encroachment had caused Soi Ruamrudee to be narrower than 10 metres. Both companies had sought a court order for the BMA and the Pathumwan district office to take action against other encroachers.

In February this year, the Supreme Administrative Court overruled the Central Administrative Court's decision and ordered the acceptance of the complaint.