Amendments seek to ease razing of aging buildingsDANGEROUS STRUCTURES: Under the new rules, local officials could demolish buildings considered a danger to the public with majority approval from its ownersStaff writer, with CNALegislators on Friday passed revisions to the Urban Renewal Act (都市更新條例) to encourage the reconstruction of aging buildings by offering incentives and streamlining procedures. There are more than 36,200 such buildings with six or more floors built before the regulations went into effect in December 1999, the ministry said. The amendments would help resolve issues with urban renewal projects for apartment buildings that have already been approved to be razed, but some owners of units in the buildings refuse to allow the building to be demolished. Local governments would have the authority to identify unsafe properties built with sea sand, because they have the experience to deal with the issue, the ministry said. Another revision provides an incentive to owners of units in substandard or unsafe buildings to rebuild, by increasing the maximum floor area allowed for any new construction.

Source: Taipei Times May 15, 2021 15:56 UTC