Phuket Town ‘Prison Park’ opening now slated for August, says Rewat
Phuket Town’s Old Prison Park is now expected to open in late August after payment delays by the PPAO pushed work beyond the original June completion date, according to Rewat Areerob.
The planned opening of Phuket Town’s so-called Old Prison Park has been pushed back to late August, with Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation President Rewat Areerob saying delays in PPAO payments, not contractor performance, are responsible.
The update revises earlier expectations that the park on Damrong Road would open by the end of June. Under the government procurement contract, construction began on Dec. 19, 2024, under a B165.8 million deal awarded to Bangkok-based SPM 5988 Co Ltd. The project was scheduled for completion on June 11 after 540 days of work.
The contract sets a late-completion penalty of B165,802 per day, but Rewat said that would not be applied if the project finishes in August.
“No, the PPAO is the cause of a delay in payments,” he said.
Rewat said the contract called for 12 instalment payments and that three have not yet been paid. He said delays in securing and allocating funding had slowed the process and that he did not blame the contractor. The PPAO expects to process the next instalment early this month, which he said should allow the remaining work to be completed by late August.
Construction is now in phases 13, 14 and 15 of the 15-phase project, with work focused on lighting installation, drainage and sanitation systems, tree planting and full installation of water pump equipment. Overall progress has reached 82.07%, Rewat said.
He said the construction and landscaping remain on track toward turning the former prison site into a major green landmark for Phuket. Plans for the park include recreation and exercise areas, space for community activities, and a learning centre focused on the history and identity of Phuket Town.
Other features highlighted by Rewat include scenic viewpoints, children’s playgrounds, landscaped gardens, public activity areas, a pagoda to house Buddhist relics and multi-purpose facilities intended for tourism and community use. He again described the project as a new “lung” for Phuket Town that would improve quality of life and increase green space in the congested old town area.
The redevelopment also includes an eight-storey parking building next to the park with capacity for 302 vehicles, intended to help ease long-running parking and traffic problems in Phuket Town.
Acting Phuket Palad Naphat Em-on said expanding public and green spaces is important to supporting Phuket’s continued growth as an international tourism destination. He said the project would create a public space for all ages while strengthening Phuket’s image as a tourism city focused on environmental sustainability.
The former Phuket Provincial Prison stood on the site for more than 120 years before demolition began in late 2022. The prison, originally built in 1901 during the governorship of Phraya Ratsadanupradit, closed after the new Phuket Provincial Prison opened in Srisoonthorn, Thalang, in December 2020.
