Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday said that he would not be pressured to make concessions and let the Taipei Dome construction project pass a review just because elections are scheduled at the end of the year as contractor Farglory Group on Friday suddenly withdrew its documents from review.
The Taipei City Government in May 2015 ordered Farglory to halt construction, citing safety concerns and unauthorized changes to the blueprints.
Before construction is resumed, the modified plans must pass safety reviews by the Taiwan Architecture and Building Center and the Taipei Urban Design Review Committee, undergo an environmental impact assessment and obtain a building permit for the modified design.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
An urban design review meeting was to be held on April 3, but the Taipei Department of Urban Development on Friday said that Farglory had in the afternoon asked to withdraw its documents.
Farglory withdrew its plans after the department on March 9 requested a redesign to address a number of safety issues and meet building regulations, Farglory Group spokesman Jacky Yang (楊舜欽) said, adding that the company considers the request equivalent to questioning the legitimacy of the building permit it gained in 2011 and the committee is not authorized to review its legitimacy.
Calling Farglory’s withdrawal “a waste of administrative resources,” Taipei Department of Urban Development Commissioner Lin Jou-min (林洲民) said the committee is authorized to review comprehensive urban disaster prevention measures, but would not review building permits or regulations, which the company might have understood.
He urged Farglory to resubmit its modified plans for review as soon as possible.
“We will not give it [Farglory] a hard time, but we cannot make concessions to let it pass easily,” Ko said.
“It is impossible for us to issue a permit as long as the project has not passed a review,” Ko said, adding that even if the company used stalling tactics, he would not feel pressured to let it pass in the face of the Nov. 24 elections.
“Stalling is useless, I will do what I must,” Ko said, adding that he would ask Taipei Deputy Mayor Chen Chin-jun (陳景峻) to approach Farglory and discuss its plans.
In related news, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Pasuya Yao (姚文智), who has announced his bid to run for Taipei mayor, yesterday called on Taipei residents to join him in a protest march on April 22 against the lack of progress on the Taipei Dome construction project and to demand that Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) be converted into a park.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
Carrefour Taiwan is to begin using a new name from the start of July, but it cannot divulge the name until then, the chairman of the supermarket chain's parent company said today. President Chain Store Co chairman Lo Chih-hsien (羅智先) was asked by reporters after a shareholders' meeting to confirm whether the company has settled on a new name for the supermarket brand. In March, the government-registered name of two Carrefour Taiwan branches was quietly changed to "Le Chia Kang" (樂家康) in Chinese, raising speculation that has been selected as the name. Lo said that because of local regulations and contractual obligations, the
The Philippines would likely be involved in any conflict over Taiwan due to its proximity to the democracy claimed by China, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said, reiterating a stance that risks angering Beijing. “In the Philippines, we do not have a choice because Taiwan is so close to the Philippines and we have almost 200,000 Filipino nationals living and working in Taiwan,” Marcos said in an interview with Japanese media in Manila on Monday. The Philippine leader’s comments come ahead of a state visit to Japan next week, where he is to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to discuss security
RSS