SHENZHEN Mayor Xu Qin said that the city government was still discussing whether to demolish the Sea Palace, an illegal construction in Dongshan Bay in Longgang District.
Xu said Tuesday that the related departments had always been very serious when dealing with the villa, but it was a very difficult case as there was no clear regulation to apply to it.
The villa was announced illegal in early this month by the city government and Longgang authorities and the owner had already received punishments. However, we are still discussing whether the villa should be demolished as many people thought it would be too wasteful to simply demolish the whole construction, he said.
The villa, developed by Fashion Group Holdings Ltd., was a private club for the past five years but it was ordered to be demolished in May last year. The palace was separated into three sections but it was never demolished.
The palace obtained a license again and started operation legally last month before it was once again announced illegal last week after the media questioned government s decision.
It was strange but it seems too difficult to determine if the villa is illegal or not, as it has been changed from illegal to legal and back to illegal in such a short period of time, said a netizen. It was hard for us to accept the fact that the government could change their decisions so quickly on this matter.
There are divided voices on how to deal with the building, such as turning it into a public venue for residents or demolishing it. We want to make the best decision so it will not be a waste of resources. But one thing is sure. Anything we do with it will strictly follow the law, Xu said. (Wang Yuanyuan)
