I have recently witnessed 2 such cases which make me believe that no such regulations exist.
Firstly on my daily commute to work through a brand new residential area I have noticed that one of the new houses has been turned into a temple. This template is complete with flashing LED’s, the regular banging of drums and even the occasional street-based theatrical performance which can take up the whole street.
Secondly I have recently subbed at a buxiban which was basically just someones house in what I would consider to be a residential area that had been turned into a cram-school. At the end of the day when it was time to go home (9pm ish) around 50 parents descended upon the area in cars and scooters to pick up their offspring.
In both of these instances I often think about the neighbours who have to live next to the temple/ cram school. If I had invested such a large amount of money in buying a house and then a few months later next door became a temple I would be fuming.
Before establishing a temple do I have to apply to any authorities? Do the neighbours have a right to appeal?
Yes, there are planning laws. To comply with them, the general procedure is to stuff large amounts of cash into an envelope and hand it to someone you know well at the planning department. Your building project - say, a pig poo incinerator - will then be issued with the standard green signboard stating “agricultural building”, allowing you to build pretty much anything you want, anywhere. As long as it’s under four storeys, of course; you wouldn’t want to be antisocial.
Lol finley :discodance:
mysteriously a restaurant appeared next to me originally an office building ,i think,of guess…3 storeys high…although the wall at the front is 4 storeys high and the tin encased housing for the extractor stuff eradicates our 4th floor view !! IMHO there are smell/noise/traffic safety issues and i cant understand how planning could be granted for this… amazing…
Do you know those prefab metal buildings that serve as housing, restaurants and whatnot. Most of them are technically illegal. Yet, they still get mail delivery, power, water and sewer. Occasionally, someone gets in an “enforcing mood” and these structures are knocked down. It happens rarely but I’ve seen it.
There are so many regulations in Taiwan. Some are useful but many are just plain nuisances. For insistence, there is a law that says your house must have so much balcony space in the back, even if you never intend to use it. That takes a good chunk out of your living area. So what do they do?
Just before they finish building your house, they will make a false back to your house just like the western movie set. They will take pictures of it for the necessary occupancy permits then they will knock the fake wall down and build a real outer wall to make your bedroom a bit larger.
The temple/cram school issue. I would not be surprised if your area is zoned for mixed commercial/residential use. Many people, especially in the villages, have little mom and pop stores downstairs. Almost no customers, but there are plenty of these little shops and noodle stands. Taiwan is built on the small family business.
I’ve seen very detailed street maps before on some government websites that showed the zoning characteristics of every block and every little alley in Taipei. I forget how I found it, though, and am too lazy to look for it right now.
The developer shall use the cheapest materials possible
Air conditioning units should be attached by rusty old brackets, preferably above windows, extra credit if the condensate drips directly onto adjacent footpath
Crossing points shall be provided with a dropped kerb, with disabled access logo, so that scooters have easy access to pedestrian zones at all times
Right to light for adjacent properties shall be ignored wherever possible. All new buildings shall be a minimum of 3-storeys higher than their neighbours
I’m sure there’s more that I haven’t mentioned
anyway, what have you got against temples? Fascist!
amazing… 