Wushi Harbor hotel construction halted over environmental impact assessment, Yilan County Government demands removal of northeast coast scenic area designation

The Wushi Harbor special district in Yilan County, Taiwan, China, boasts ocean views and, with its proximity to the Xueshan Tunnel exit and convenient transportation, plus the recent high-speed rail extension to Yilan, has seen its land development potential multiply, attracting many developers to invest in construction. However, Wushi Harbor lies within the jurisdiction of the Northeast Coast National Scenic Area, and under the law, any development area exceeding one hectare requires an environmental impact assessment. Recently, the Yilan County Government demanded that the Northeast Coast Scenic Area Administration remove Wushi Harbor from the scenic area, sparking controversy.

Outsiders question whether the county government is trying to bail out a specific developer whose project is stuck in the environmental impact assessment. Cheng Ming-hsiu, an environmental impact assessment committee member involved in the case, harshly criticized: "If you can't meet the environmental impact assessment requirements, you just skip the assessment. Why doesn't the county government simply demand that the entire Yilan coastline be removed from the scenic area?"

First-row ocean-view hotel blocked by environmental impact assessment and ordered to stop work, Yilan County Government demands that Wushi Harbor be removed from the Northeast Coast Scenic Area

According to reports, in 2013, Hsu Li-feng, wife of Jiang Song-hua, head of the duty-free shop company Ever Rich Duty Free Shop, invested in the construction of two hotel buildings in the Wushi Harbor special district, an 11-story and a 17-story building. In 2014, construction permits were issued by the county government and work began. Midway through construction, in 2015, it was discovered that the land was within the Northeast Coast National Scenic Area and the development area exceeded one hectare, requiring a supplementary environmental impact assessment under the regulations, and construction was halted.

In March 2019, the first environmental impact assessment meeting for the case was held. After discussion among the assessment committee members, it was determined that the case was located on the first row facing the coast, potentially damaging the coastal landscape view of the Lanyang Plain and obstructing the integrity of the skyline between Wushi Harbor and the Lanyang Museum, and it was rejected by the assessment committee members.

Now the county government argues that the Wushi Harbor special district already has an urban plan under county government jurisdiction, and to avoid conflict with the scenic area administration