Phnom Penh is studying the feasibility to build a more than $20 million underground mall and parking garage east of the Naga Bridge, under a private investment, an official said yesterday.

Edisijuta Cambodia Pte, Ltd would build the four-level subterranean shopping centre and parking structure, said Ieng Aunny, deputy Phnom Penh governor. The project would be located near what is now Freedom Park, and bounded by streets 106 and 108, and streets 13 and 19. “We are studying about it,” Aunny said.

At this stage, officials are only exploring the technical aspects of the project, he said. But the investment would come from the company. Officials hope to get the project done in two to three years, he added.

On Wednesday, Phnom Penh Governor Pa Socheatvong met with representatives from Edisijuta Cambodia and the Japan International Cooperation Agency because the project would affect JICA’s sewer pipes. Officials wanted to know if it would be possible to move the sewer pipe in order to move forward with the project, Aunny said.

Ma Sithay, deputy chief executive officer for Edisijuta Cambodia – a subsidiary of a Malaysian parking management company – said the underground structure would include retail outlets and restaurants, and would continue to be a public garden at street level. “The [estimated] project cost is between $21 million and $23 million,” he said, noting that City Hall still needed to approve the plan.

The capital recently completed a large underground carpark adjacent to the city’s railway station, near Canadia and Vattanac towers, Aunny said.