Changhua County Government insists on developing Erlin Precision Machinery Park; residents protest, Green Party lawmakers criticize county magistrate for torturing farmers after election
20150410 15:00 Update: Changhua County Magistrate Wei Ming-ku announced that the "Changnan Industrial Park development project" will be withdrawn and planned for use as the "Xizhou Agricultural Showcase Park," respecting local residents' wishes regarding land use. However, the Erlin Precision Machinery Park is still being developed according to the established procedures, and any latest news will be corrected later.
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The Changhua County Government plans to develop the existing Wanxing Farm owned by Taiwan Sugar Corporation in the Erlin area, planning a "Erlin Precision Machinery Park" of up to 352 hectares. On the 9th, the county government held a briefing session at the Erlin Library, where protests erupted loudly and dozens of residents poured in. Residents and environmental groups worry that pollution generated by the park's development could further worsen Erlin's air, groundwater, and surrounding agricultural and fishery industries. If there truly is industrial demand, idle industrial land of more than 1,000 hectares within the county should be used first.
In response to the development of the machinery industry, the Changhua County Government had intended to plan the "Erlin Precision Machinery Park" as early as 2012. However, because the park was intended for precision machinery and its development was similar to that of the neighboring Central Taiwan Science Park Phase 4 Erlin Park, it drew considerable criticism. In the middle of last year, the county government decided to submit the case on its own for second-stage environmental impact assessment, hoping that stricter environmental review would quell the opposition. However, residents questioned not only the pollution the industrial park development might bring, but also the necessity of the development project itself.
Idle Land: Mandatory Recovery Planned in the Future
The idle industrial land within Changhua County is mainly in the Changbin Industrial Park, the Central Taiwan Science Park Erlin Park, the Fangyuan Industrial Park, and other areas. Chen Chun-yu, section chief of the Industrial Development Section of the Construction Department of the Changhua County Government, pointed out that most of the land had long since been sold, and some vacant plots were bought but still have no factories built on them to this day. For this part, the Industrial Development Bureau of the Ministry of Economic Affairs is amending the "Industrial Innovation Statute" and drafting regulations for mandatory recovery. If the amended bill passes in the future, and the owner fails to build a factory within 2 years after purchase, the local government will have the right to recover the land. He believes this move will effectively curb the past situation of land hoarding in industrial parks.
Chen Chun-yu admitted that the "Industrial Innovation Statute" still needs some time to pass through the Executive Yuan, the Legislative Yuan, and other hurdles. Even if it passes, land recovered by mandatory means will still need to go through procedures such as redevelopment, dike construction, and environmental review. But demand in the precision machinery industry is very high right now, which is why Wanxing Farm must be expropriated again for use as an industrial park.
Central Taiwan Science Park Phase 4 Cannot Attract Manufacturers; Environmental Groups Question the Necessity of Further Development
