Central Pattana plc. (CPN), a major shareholder of Grand Canal Land plc. (GLAND), has launched “g Garden – urban farming & farmers connected” in Phra Ram 9 area as part of a pilot project that turns plots of land awaiting development into green spaces where farmers can generate income all year round.
The g Garden is a temporary project that will use the plot for about two years while waiting for construction work to begin. Currently, the garden opens to the public each at the weekend but it is expected to be fully accessible once the COVID-19 situation improves. The company is planning to implement the same concept in other spaces, using g Garden as a model.
GLAND has four undeveloped land plots of over 190 rai in total in high-potential areas in Bangkok, which are expected to help boost its long-term growth. Two of them, the empty land in The Grand Rama 9 project and a land plot in Phahonyothin area, are being considered for mixed-use projects. For the remaining two, the company will use land in Don Mueang for the development of the Nirati Donmueang project and is studying how to develop a land plot in Kamphaeng Phet area.
Ms. Naparat Sriwanvit, Chief Financial Officer and Senior Executive Vice President, Finance, Accounting and Risk Management of Central Pattana plc., said: “For over 40 years Central Pattana has been focused on providing a good livelihood for the community and supporting a healthy environment.
g Garden will demonstrate how Bangkok’s water bodies can be rehabilitated as it will treat water from Yai Soon Canal and use it for agricultural purposes. It will also use an automatic system to increase efficiency in water management.
The project was created with a creative urban development approach based on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Considerations were given to space, food, agriculture and the environment in an integrated way for the first time in the Thai real estate and shopping centre industries,” Ms. Naparat added.
Mrs. Panida Sooksridakul, Deputy Managing Director of GLAND, said: “The g Garden is a CSR project that we developed with The Farm Concept and over 10 other organisations in our network, such as Big Trees Project, Ageekculture, JaiTalad, Khlong Toey Dee Jung, and Poonsuk Market, with each lending its expertise to help create this project.”
“At GLAND, we provide the land for farming and a parking area for over 50 cars. We also manage the area, take care of the surrounding landscape and provide security and safety with a special consideration to the COVID-19 pandemic. We would like to thank all of the partners and agencies for their support, which has resulted in such a great project in the middle of the city.”
“The g Garden opens to the public every weekend and is expected to be fully open once the COVID-19 situation improves. It is a pilot project to temporarily make use of a land plot for a period of two years, which will lead to a model that can be adapted to other land plots of the company for the betterment of nearby communities.”