The Executive Yuan is considering subsidies to renovate old residential structures as part of a government initiative to bolster national resilience, National Land Management Agency Chief Secretary Ou Cheng-hsing (歐正興) said yesterday.
The National Land Management Agency’s NT$5 billion (US$162.8 million) plan to subsidize projects linked to refurbishing aging buildings would be funded via the national resilience special budget President William Lai (賴清德) unveiled last week, Ou said.
The Cabinet is expected to approve the three-year plan in the near future, with a goal of renovating 500 buildings, he said.
Photo: Hsu Yi-ping, Taipei Times
Depending on ownership, 30-year-old residential buildings between four and six stories high might be eligible for subsidized renovations, including structural reinforcements and accessibility improvements, he said.
The plan could be enacted before the end of the year, he said, adding that applications might open concurrently with the public comment period.
The subsidies would cover up to 65 percent of refurbishment costs on renovating exterior walls, including tile replacements, rooftop waterproofing, elevators, internal handrails, gap elimination, anti-slip and fall protection, and other accessibility features, Ou said.
Homeowners who are elderly or disadvantaged people could receive an additional 50 percent bump on the baseline if the renovations are intended to enhance safety, he said.
The project would prioritize spending on the nation’s most densely populated areas, with the agency holding public hearings in designated areas ahead of the local rollout, he said.
It would first be launched in Taipei and New Taipei City, followed by Hsinchu, Keelung and Changhua County, then other administrative regions, Ou said.
Whether the plan would be expanded after the first 500 buildings would depend on the performance metrics, he said, adding that the program could become a regular part of government spending if it does well.
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