Good News There Is No Marina Ban For Phuket

After much furor by developers and the property industry over reports that the Provincial Government has issued a ban on new marina developments the Phuket Gazette has spoken to the relevant authorities and issues the following:
According to both the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE) and the Office of the Governor of Phuket, with whom Gazette reporters spoke this afternoon, there was, and is, no intent to ban proposed new marina construction in the island province.
But a spokesman at Provincial Hall says that Governor Wichai had simply agreed with a DNRE recommendation that provincial authorities set a new policy to carefully examine marina and other coastal development proposals in order to properly assess their impact on the environment before giving them the go-ahead.

“The new policy only places tougher restrictions on such projects and prioritizes the development of existing marinas and piers” he said.
This is positive news and for most developers of this scale would like to see more international standards placed on environmental approvals to improve standards in the sector. Marinas are a good contributor to the local economy, jobs and service sector. Additionally they provide a good demand generator for our tourism industry and property markets.