The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) yesterday sent inspectors to Shili Beach (蒔裡沙灘) on Penghu Island, amid claims that a resort hotel has started construction there.
Penghu just received a certificate of membership to “The Most Beautiful Bays in the World” from a UNESCO-sponsored nongovernmental organization in March. However, a civic environmental group last week reported that the island’s famous Shili Beach is being damaged, with fences being erected and an excavator on-site for the construction of a hotel.
The group issued the call on the Internet to call public attention to the issue and ask the Penghu County Government to put a stop to the destruction. The county called a halt to the construction on Saturday last week.
On Sunday, the hotel agreed to tear down the fences, halt construction and hold public hearings to seek the approval of local residents before resuming construction.
According to the Tourism Bureau, the developer received approval for the project in 2003 and was granted a construction license by the county government last year. However, the project sparked concern that because the development project was under 1 hectare — which means it need not undergo an environmental impact assessment before construction — it can avoid the test and damage the beach.
EPA Minister Wei Kuo-yen (魏國彥) yesterday said inspectors had been sent to Penghu to learn more about the project, including its size, location, environmental sensitivity and development history, before deciding how to deal with the case.
He added that previous controversial construction sites, such as the Miramar Rsesort Hotel and the Yoho Beach Resort showed that the environmental impact assessment mechanism for monitoring coastal development projects may need a reevaluation.
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