Building halted in Jing’an villa controversy
Print Edition
CONSTRUCTION of an illegal replacement for a protected Jing’an building has been halted.
A three-floor English-style villa stood on the site at 888 Julu Road and was regarded as an epitome of the city’s concession history. It was one of 12 garden villas built in 1930 and was given historic protection status by the Shanghai government in 1999.
Residents said demolition work on the villa began about six months ago after a businessman, whose identity has not been revealed, bought the property.
The current owner is said to be a woman who is studying overseas. A source familiar with the villa saga, told Shanghai Daily that the woman’s father had bought it for her last year for 80 million yuan (US$11.7 million). Now, a steel and concrete structure has replaced the red-tiled-roof villa.
The district’s housing officials were alerted to the illegal construction by residents last month.
Officials said the row of villas was obscured by a 2-meter-high wall and tall trees, which had made it difficult to know what was taking place.
The source, who asked not to be identified, told Shanghai Daily that the owner denied having signed papers concerning the protected status of the building.
The owner has been ordered to restore the villa’s original look as well as facing a heavy fine, the source said.
Fei Junping, an official with the district’s residential housing renovation authority, told Shanghai Television Station in an interview yesterday that the owner didn’t go through any required procedures.
“Without official papers, it is an illegal structure,” said Lou Chenghao, an expert in shikumen architecture, when interviewed by Shanghai Television Station yesterday. “It’s an extremely severe act to pull down the villa.”
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