Parks, playgrounds and a bike lane top the list of improvements Pattaya is planning for its 600 million baht renovation of Jomtien Beach.
Patterned after the facelift underway on Pattaya Beach, the Jomtien makeover still is a long way from reality. Designs are still being drawn and a budget request has yet to be made. With the beachfront facing similar erosion problems to what has occurred in Pattaya, residents and tourists have to hope the money comes through soon.
Pattaya engineering and construction chief Sunthorn Sompamai said the four-phase project covers the beachfront from Dongtan Beach to the border with Najomtien Sub-district. The emphasis for the project is on facilitating recreation.
Yin Yom beach is quiet during the low season, prompting local vendors to ask the city to do something to stimulate tourism.
The main changes will be the modification of the footpaths, with trees and flowers planted, as well as construction of lane for runners and bikers, a recreation park, water activities park, public-use building, children’s playground, a park for the elderly and a new pavilion at Pratamnak Hill’s Yim Yom Beach.
Workers from the city Environment Department cleared the abandoned pavilion on that beach July 10, then filled in holes left behind and others caused by beach erosion. The removal came more than a year after the pavilion was damaged by a storm.
Beach vendor Ampol Chalao, 47, said he was happy to see the beach cleared, even if a new viewing point won’t be built for a while.
“Personally, I hope Pattaya will make improvements and construct a new pavilion because this is one of the most beautiful viewpoints in the city and I wish it to remain so,” he said.
