The owner of an historic property on Taipei’s Boai Road is to be fined after they continued with renovations despite the building being flagged for review as a cultural heritage site.
The property, which is located at 132 Boai Road in Taipei’s Zhongzheng District, was built in the 1920s during the Japanese colonial era. The building was surveyed by the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs in August last year, at which time it flagged the property for further review to determine its status as a cultural heritage site. Bureau officials then visited the property in December last year and February this year as part of the review process, the department said.
Photo: CNA
Properties flagged for review are granted temporary historic status, during which time owners are not permitted to dismantle or remove any part of the property’s structure, and are required to maintain and preserve the property, the department said.
However, despite the injunction the owner of the building at 132 Boai Road renovated the building and converted it into a reception area for presale housing properties, it said, adding that part of the renovations involved removing the building’s original wooden roof and replacing it with metal sheets. The department said a fine of NT$500,000 would be imposed on the contractor, and a fine of NT$300,000 imposed on the property owner.
During a meeting with department officials on Monday, the owner justified the renovation work saying that it was necessary as termites had infested the wood, which caused leaking and made the building dangerous.
The owner said that work had already begun before the injunction was imposed, and said he had suffered financial losses due to fines imposed on the contractor, and the loss of rent when the tenant was forced to vacate the property. Department officials said the fines were imposed because the owner continued renovation work after the injunction.
Separately, the contractor, Shuang Zheng Li Construction Co. (双正利建設), said that it continued work after the injunction was imposed as it was “unfamiliar with the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act (文化資產保存法).”
The bureau said it would urge the owner to restore the wall paint to its original state and rectify the water leakage. In the future, it would continue to work with the owner on drafting restoration, reuse and management plans for the property, and provide relevant subsidies and resources, it said.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
RISING TOURISM: A survey showed that tourist visits increased by 35 percent last year, while newly created attractions contributed almost half of the growth Changhua County’s Lukang Old Street (鹿港老街) and its surrounding historical area clinched first place among Taiwan’s most successful tourist attractions last year, while no location in eastern Taiwan achieved a spot in the top 20 list, the Tourism Administration said. The listing was created by the Tourism Administration’s Forward-looking Tourism Policy Research office. Last year, the Lukang Old Street and its surrounding area had 17.3 million visitors, more than the 16 million visitors for the Wenhua Road Night Market (文化路夜市) in Chiayi City and 14.5 million visitors at Tainan’s Anping (安平) historical area, it said. The Taipei 101 skyscraper and its environs —
Taiwan on Friday said a New Zealand hamburger restaurant has apologized for a racist remark to a Taiwanese customer after reports that it had first apologized to China sparked outrage in Taiwan. An image posted on Threads by a Taiwanese who ate at Fergburger in Queenstown showed that their receipt dated Sunday last week included the words “Ching Chang,” a racial slur. The Chinese Consulate-General in Christchurch in a statement on Thursday said it had received and accepted an apology from the restaurant over the incident. The comment triggered an online furor among Taiwanese who saw it as an insult to the
RSS