A project consultancy team for the controversial Chao Phraya promenade has fired back at critics, insisting the design plan will be a collaborative project between locals and experts.
Members of the team claimed their feasibility study was only a cosmetic process.
"We listen to all concerns raised by the locals and try to cater to their demands. We didn't have plans for them to choose from. We do work with them. It's a truly collaborative project," said Ronarit Dhanakoses, an expert in landscape architecture and community studies.
Mr Ronarit leads the consultancy team, comprising experts from King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang and Khon Kaen University. The team has been hired by City Hall with a budget of 120 million baht to conduct a study for a 57km promenade along both banks of the Chao Phraya River, covering four provinces: Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani and Samut Prakan.
The pilot section or so-called New Landmark of Thailand, expected to cost about 14 billion baht, will run 7km on both sides of the river between the Rama VII and Pin Klao bridges.
Mr Ronarit confirmed the six-month study for the promenade, called "Chao Phraya for All", will be complete by September.
The project has largely been opposed by experts, academics and locals. Last year, Friends of the River was formed by about 100 architects who pointed out how the fast-tracked promenade project would not only ruin the scenic riverside view, lifestyle and culture, but also become a gigantic riverside eyesore.
On July 7, a larger network called River Assembly was formed by 61 non-governmental organisations and business operators to oppose the project. They say it ignores the demands of local people and lacks transparency. The group said the information session, a part of the feasibility study, has only provided information rather than ask the residents what they need.
To brush aside the claims, the team insisted design procedures have involved collaboration by his team with locals and experts at every level. Speaking last week to announce the project's design progress, Mr Ronarit said his team completed restoration plans for two communities sitting along the river; Wat Devarajkunchorn community and Mittrakam 1 community in Dusit district.
The core concepts for the design plan are heritage preservation and the creation of recreational spots for people to enjoy, he added.
Mr Ronarit said the two communities were selected for pilot schemes because residents had given full cooperation to the authorities.
The team has worked together with experts and academics from the Office of Architecture, Office of Literature and History, Office of Archaeology, and National Archives of Thailand on design plans and with the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources on environment impact assessment reports.
Wat Devarajkunchorn is a popular spot for residents of the neighbouring community to gather.
There have been increasing concerns that locals affected by the project would be tied down by being forced to work with authorities to make the project materialise.
The embattled project has been slammed by critics for its "half-baked plan" and "misguided budget" since its launch.
Mr Ronarit claims his team inspected communities and educated locals about the project to ensure that they understood every detail according to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's (BMA) requirements.
As for the Wat Devarajkunchorn Community, Mr Ronarit said his team will propose a "conservation and restoration of historical and cultural heritage plan" to the BMA as experts in community studies value the significance of living heritage in the community.
He said the community, set up during the Ayutthaya period, has a long, colourful history. Its unique nature lies in the fact it is a riverside community featuring more than 30 houses on stilts, he added.
The advantage of houses on stilts is that they help protect river banks, he said.
Preserving traditional Thai cooking skills which have been passed down from generation to generation is also part of the plan, Mr Ronarit said. Several palaces including Sukhothai Palace, Sunantha Palace and Suan Dusit Palace sit near the community and the locals were invited to help cooks in the palaces' kitchens.
Residents who acquire cooking wisdom and skills have passed them on to their family members, he added.
According to the study, the Wat Devarajkunchorn Community was once home to a mixed group of people from Laos, Cambodia, China, Europe and South Asia, he said. The traditional riverside way of life gradually faded following urbanisation.
Under the preservation and restoration plan, there will be infrastructure improvements within the community including roads and footpaths to improve access and connect the community's landmarks to the Chao Phraya River's corridor, he said.
"This would unlock memories of a lost way of life and allow community members to interact with one another," Mr Ronarit said. The project will also offer business opportunities to locals.
Under the plan, recreation spots and small parks will be set up along the river, Mr Ronasit said, adding vacant spaces near a dam would be ideal for setting up a park which would overlook the river.
He said his team would ask the BMA to work with the Marine Department and related state agencies to consider the issuing a new regulation that would allow for houses on stilts to be present in the protected area.
People living on houses on stilts have been accused of encroaching on the river.
As for the Mittrakam 1 community, Mr Ronarit said his team will propose authorities protect its houses on stilts.
Innovative anchoring technology would be utilised to hold boathouses in position, preventing them from dragging, he added.
Livelihoods involving scouring the river for its hidden treasures will be preserved under the plan, Mr Ronarit said, adding many residents make a living searching for sunken valuable items in the river and selling them to supplement their income.
He said he would ask the BMA to work with the Fine Arts Department and consider the possibility of hiring locals on monthly salaries to search for valuable items in the river to be given to the department.
He dismissed criticism that the plan involves blocks of concrete being lined up along the river to create an eyesore.
Mr Ronasit insisted concrete blocks will only be used when necessary, saying authorities are concerned that using concrete would adversely affect the river banks and cause waste build-up problems.
A Dutch floating construction method will be used for building floating structures, he said, adding a team of officials plans to make an inspection tour to the Netherlands to see how the procedure works.
He dismissed reports the project prioritises construction processes to ensure the project will be completed by a set schedule, saying the project places great emphasis on the restoration of riverside communities and preservation of the locals' way of living.