THE owner of the Sea Palace, an extravagant floating villa illegally built in Dongshan Bay off Longgang District, will bear the cost of demolition, the Longgang District Government said.
According to a Longgang government statement, the district oceanic administration had issued two notices in March to Shenzhen Elite Offshore Entertainment Co., which manages the structure, demanding the company return the sea area illegally occupied by the villa by March 24, otherwise the government would demolish the villa and company would bear the cost.
The firm failed to comply by the deadline and the government started demolition April 8.
Guo Kuizhang, the owner of the Sea Palace, said at an earlier interview the demolition of the 100-million yuan (US$15.38 million) villa, which covers an area of 3,000 square meters, could cost about 10 million yuan.
Guo said the company had filed a lawsuit 10 days ago against the Longgang oceanic administration over alleged administrative violations.
A lawyer representing the company said Longgang District court should give a written response whether or not it accepted the lawsuit. Wang Airan, spokesman for the Longgang oceanic administration, said the administration had not received a court summons.
Guo had openly questioned the capricious practice of the administration, which it claimed had affected government credibility. The villa, which had been used as a private club for years, was dismantled into three sections in May last year after it was ruled an illegal structure.
In December, the firm received aquatic farming and fishing licenses from the bureau. But the licenses were revoked last month after critics claimed legalizing an illegal building sent the wrong signal to the community. (Han Ximin)
