Jomtien/Pattaya-
The Marine Department of Chonburi is planning, in conjunction with relevant agencies and officials, to move forward the timeline for the Jomtien Beach expansion after what they call the success of the project so far on Southern Na Jomtien Beach.
We have covered the expansion of the beach for some time here at TPN media, in which sand was added to the heavily eroded area of the beach near popular seafood restaurants on South Jomtien Beach. The project has been regarded by Na Jomtien municipality officials as a success, stating that many people, especially at night, are now enjoying the beach and the area which previously was essentially completely eroded.
In fact, some parts of the newly expanded beach have become a bit too popular as local restaurants have moved services onto the beach, which isn’t without controversy due to the sensitive issue of encroachment. Read here for more about this.
Now, the project which has expanded the beach from an average of five meters to fifty-one meters is set to move forward to Phase Two of three Phases, meant to eventually expand all of Jomtien Beach to Dongtan Beach area. Phase Two would be the “central” area of the beach from around the Dragon Beach Resort area for about 2.5 kilometers. The final phase, the most popular area near Dongtan Beach and the Dongtan Police Box, would not be until 2023, at the earliest.
Mr. Ekkarat Kantharo, director of the Pattaya branch’s regional harbor office and the Pattaya Marine Department, spoke with local reporters via phone and confirmed the project would move forward due to its success, with a goal of having it completed by the high season of this year, November 2022. Previously, Phase Two was unlikely to proceed until possibly the very end of the year or early next year. This is due to several factors, including the popularity of the project and being ready for what is hoped to be the first major high season in three years due to Covid-19.
Ekkarat also stated that the capacity of the sand dredging ships used for the project was being doubled also to expedite the project, which planners hope will bring benefit to local business owners and tourists by further expanding the beach, similar to Na Jomtien now and Pattaya Beach, both of which, according to him, have seen much more popularity (especially at night) with the expanded beach.
