PATTAYA, Thailand – Pattaya Mayor Poramet Ngampichet has vowed to move ahead with measures to regain control of the disputed Waterfront project area, including installing no-parking signs and potentially placing barriers to prevent vehicles from entering the site. Poramet made the statement during a Pattaya City Council meeting in response to questions from Sanchai Phonluk-in, a city councilor for District 3, concerning the long-running problems surrounding the Waterfront condominium project.
The mayor said vehicles are no longer being parked on the Waterfront building itself after Pattaya City officials filed a complaint and began following up on the matter with Pattaya Police in 2025.
However, a separate dispute remains over the area in front of the Waterfront condominium, which lies in a boundary area between the property and land claimed by the city. According to Poramet, the private sector maintains that it has rights to occupy or use the disputed area, while Pattaya City maintains that the former owner had previously relinquished the area to the city.
The city, however, did not accept the transfer at the time because officials determined that the land was not public land that could be formally received by the municipality. The issue has now been taken up in discussions involving several government agencies. Pattaya City’s permanent secretary recently invited representatives from Banglamung District, the Land Office and Pattaya City to discuss the status and future management of the disputed area. The initial conclusion was that Pattaya City would install signs clearly indicating the status of the area and warning motorists that parking is prohibited.
The city is also considering requiring private operators to remove vehicles currently using the area.
Poramet said the next step could involve installing physical barriers around the site to prevent vehicles from entering and parking there. The city is also preparing to seek a certificate of public land status, to establish the legal status of the disputed area more clearly.
The mayor said Pattaya City was prepared to defend its position through the legal process if private parties decide to take the dispute to court. He stressed that the immediate objective was to bring the area back under systematic control and management by Pattaya City.
The Waterfront project has remained a contentious issue in Pattaya for years, with the unfinished high-rise structure on Bali Hai Cape becoming one of the city’s most prominent unfinished developments. The latest move by Pattaya City focuses not only on the unfinished building but also on the surrounding disputed land, where parking and control of the area have continued to raise questions over ownership and public access.
Poramet said the city would proceed with the necessary administrative and legal steps while coordinating with the relevant authorities to establish a clear status for the land.
For now, the planned signs and possible barriers represent the city’s first practical measures to prevent further vehicle use of the disputed area while the authorities work to resolve its legal status.
