Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) yesterday said he opposed a Cabinet proposal to tear down buildings previously used by the Taiwan Provincial Government to create a business district in the special municipality, adding that the Cabinet had agreed to discuss the matter with him.
Liming New Village (黎明新村), located in Nantun District (南屯), Greater Taichung, once held a branch of the Taiwan Provincial Government and also housed public servants.
While most Taiwan Provincial Government public servants were transferred to other government agencies following a major streamlining of its functions in 1998 to conform with political realities, more than 1,000 households of public servants remained in Liming New Village.
Photo: Liao Yao-tung, Taipei Times
Taichung Deputy Mayor Hsiao Chia-chi (蕭家旗) said the European-style houses were rare in Taiwan and had historical value, adding that the community also has several green spaces the city wants to maintain.
The central government owns the land and buildings at Liming New Village and it plans to raze the village and sell the land to developers for the creation of a business district, Hsiao said.
“The Executive Yuan should take into consideration the opinions of the local government,” Hu said yesterday. “The areas around Liming New Village are overdeveloped ... we cherish the ‘lung of the city,’ so why should we remove and sell it so commercial buildings can be built?”
Hu said Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) had agreed to discuss the matter with him.
Government Information Office Minister Philip Yang (楊永明) yesterday said the proposal to build a business district was not a final decision and that the Cabinet respected the local government’s views on the matter.
According to the Executive Yuan’s plan, the money raised from selling the property would help fund construction of an advanced technology development park in Nantou County’s Jhongsing New Village (中興新村), the seat of Taiwan Province.
The Executive Yuan said the technology park would house 250 research and development units, including the state-funded Industrial Technology Research Institute and the Institute of Information Industry, creating about 13,000 new jobs.
Under the proposal, the more than 1,000 households living in Liming New Village would be relocated to a community in Jhongsing New Village.
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