The Taipei City Government has announced tentative plans to build a 1,500-seat concert hall and library on the site of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) in Daan District (大安), which is planning to relocate its offices.
The city said the project would also include a shopping complex and a park.
However, the project, which is to estimated to cost NT$730 million (US$23.86 million), has drawn criticism, with some citing incomplete projects by the city, such as the partially constructed Taipei Performing Arts Center and the North Popular Music Center.
The lease for the 2.6-hectare plot on which the AIT’s office stands is to expire in July next year.
The Taipei Department of Cultural Affairs said the planned hall would differ from the unfinished performing arts center and the popular music center, which are intended to host concerts, adding that the city needs facilities to host a professional orchestra.
Daan District Longtu Borough (龍圖) Warden Hsiao Wan-chu (蕭萬居) criticized the project, saying it would replace plans to build long-term care facilities and a non-profit kindergarten at the site.
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) does not understand the needs of the district, Hsiao said.
Hsiao called on Deputy Mayor Charles Lin (林欽榮), who is heading the concert hall project, to communicate with the public.
Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City Councilor Chien Hsu-pei (簡舒培) echoed Hsiao’s concerns, saying while a library and concert hall might be good if they are needed, the city should talk first to local residents and their representatives.
The city should seek feedback in the early stages to avoid the need to backtrack, Chien said.
Lin said the project would not encroach on land earmarked for the projects mentioned by Hsiao, adding that he plans to hold talks with local residents.
Lin said he hoped the project would spur urban renewal efforts in the district.
The Taipei Department of Urban Development said that the departments of cultural affairs and education would be responsible for the plot.
The city has yet to hold a meeting with local residents, since it had just finished discussing the project with the Urban Planning Commission in May, the Department of Urban Development said.
Former Taipei Department of Culture commissioner Ni Chung-hwa (倪重華) said the National Concert Hall is the only concert hall in the city, adding that performances that are not held there are usually held at school auditoriums.
The city’s professional orchestra has not had a space of its own for 50 years, he said.
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