Gyeonggi-do to Renovate 18 Construction-Halted Buildings Considered 'Urban Eyesores'... Plans to Renovate 33 More Sites

Anseong City Construction-Halted Building Exterior View

18 construction sites in Gyeonggi-do that have been left unattended for a long time due to halted construction, damaging the urban landscape, have been renovated, and systematic maintenance projects will be promoted for the remaining 33 sites.

Gyeonggi-do announced on the 22nd that it has renovated a total of 18 buildings so far through institutional improvements such as rational adjustment of the authority and roles of central, metropolitan, and local governments, and expert advisory support for resuming construction, due to complex legal disputes related to financial difficulties, construction payment lawsuits, complicated rights relations, and lack of project feasibility that caused long-term neglect of buildings.

Among the renovated sites, the construction-halted building in front of Anyang Station's busy district, where construction was stopped since 1998, was continuously discussed with the National Assembly, Anyang City, and construction stakeholders, then demolished and is currently being used as a parking lot.

Also, the urban-style residential housing in Cheoin-gu, Yongin City, where construction was halted in 2016 due to lack of funds and other reasons, resumed construction after reporting changes in construction stakeholders and was completed in July 2023.

For the remaining 33 construction-halted buildings, Gyeonggi-do prepared the 'Gyeonggi-do Construction-Halted Building Maintenance Plan' in July and will conduct a joint safety management inspection with the province and city/counties by October 11.

The main inspection targets include a 16-story apartment complex with five buildings in Janghowon-eup, Icheon City, where construction started in 1998 but was halted at 50% progress due to lawsuits and other reasons, leaving it unattended for 22 years. Also, a neighborhood living facility (sales facility) in Cheongun-myeon, Yangpyeong County, which has been left unattended for 32 years since construction began, is unreachable from the building owner.

The inspection will cover ▲whether access restrictions such as safety fences and warning signs are in place ▲the condition of facility management including the possibility of structural or temporary material collapse ▲and the stability of temporary structures such as earth retaining walls and retaining walls. If necessary, private structural experts will be consulted to assess the safety status of the structures. Additionally, for sites with insufficient management based on inspection results, repair and thorough management will be requested from the building owners and city/counties.

Park Jong-geun, Director of the Architectural Design Division of Gyeonggi-do, said, "Long-term neglected buildings not only harm the urban landscape but also pose a risk of becoming crime-prone areas, so we conduct regular inspections," adding, "We will encourage building owners to promptly resume construction or demolish the buildings for the safety of residents and seek various improvement measures to ensure self-maintenance is completed."

Previously, in August 2018, Gyeonggi-do established the '1st Construction-Halted Building Maintenance Plan,' the first in the nation to promote maintenance of abandoned construction sites. There are a total of 51 buildings where construction has been halted for more than two years, according to the '1st and 2nd Construction-Halted Long-Term Neglected Building Maintenance Plans.'

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.