The Taipei City Government yesterday halted the demolition of buildings on the Nangang Bottle Cap Factory (南港瓶蓋工廠) site, saying it would resume work after reviewing plans to protect six historic buildings and nearby trees.
Protesters yesterday rallied outside the factory compound, criticizing project contractor Yu Chang Construction Co and accusing the city government of negligence in overseeing the project.
The defunct compound was built during the Japanese colonial period and consists of 19 buildings, including six designated by the city as historic establishments that are to be preserved.
However, since demolition work began early this month, two of the historical buildings in the southwestern part of the site had been damaged by falling debris from the buildings being torn down, protesters said.
“About 20 trees had been knocked down by construction vehicles, including a damaged tree taken under protection by the city government,” said Chen Chia-min (陳家民), member of the Songshan Tree Protection Volunteer Union.
Protesters said that Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) had signed a “bounced check,” referring to a petition signed by Ko during his election campaign last year, in which he pledged to preserve all buildings and trees in the compound.
Demonstrators demanded that demolition work be suspended immediately, to which the Taipei Land Development Agency agreed.
Agency deputy project engineer Kuo Cheng-feng (郭丞峰) said that the project would not resume unless the protection of trees and buildings is guaranteed.
Agency section chief Lee Ying-ta (李英達) said his colleagues had inspected the site on the day the demolition began, adding that a preservation plan had been put in place.
He said that he was not informed about the two historical buildings that were allegedly damaged, but the agency would carry out follow-up inspections to ensure improvements are made.
Lee said the 2.2-hectare site consists of two plots, with one plot on the east further divided into three smaller plots.
The sub-plot in the northeastern end of the site belongs to Chunghwa Telecom, while the one in the southeastern end belongs to the National Property Administration, he said.
The plot between the two has been reserved for the construction of a 1,896m2 park, he said.
The western plot, where the six historic buildings are located, is publicly owned. The fate of the vacant plots would be up to the owners, save for a space reserved for a road construction, he added.
When asked why landowners wanted to vacate the site, Lee said that the move would help the owners acquire construction permits, as it would round out the shape of adjacent plots.
In response to media queries over his failure to honor his promise to preserve the compound, Ko said that he signed the petition because he thought the plots belonged to the city government and that he would have authority over them if elected.
Ko said that he had to respect the decision to demolish the buildings, which was made by the cultural assets review committee and urban planning committee.
“A mayor is not an emperor. There is nothing I could have done about it,” Ko said.
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