TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei City’s environmental assessment of its redevelopment plan for Shezi Island was invalidated on Thursday, leaving no end in sight for a long-standing disagreement between residents and authorities.

The Taipei High Administrative Court ruled the assessment invalid because it did not survey the environmental impacts of a sewage plant and flood walls included in the redevelopment project’s plans, the Environmental Information Center reported. Opponents of the redevelopment plan celebrated outside the court while Taipei’s Department of Environmental Protection said it would likely appeal the ruling.

Shezi Island is a peninsula in Taipei with an estimated population of 11,000, and houses residential buildings, factories, and farmland. Construction was heavily restricted on the peninsula after a typhoon caused widespread flooding in 1966. This results in limited development and lower flood walls along the Keelung and Tamsui rivers than those in the rest of Taipei.

According to the Taipei Land Development Agency, the redevelopment plan seeks to acquire around 300 hectares of land to heighten flood walls, build infrastructure, and resettle residents. The agency said the plan will create living, work, and leisure areas for Shezi Island residents.  

The Shezi Island Self-Help Association brought the legal challenge against Taipei City, and says existing settlements should be preserved. Speaking after the ruling, association Spokesperson Li Hua-ping (李華萍) called on Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) to stop the development plans, lift the area’s construction ban, and commit to preserving its settlements.

“We hope more than anyone else that Shezi Island’s environment can be improved, but not by uprooting the residents,” Li said. He said the association believes the plan harms the rights of small landowners.

The association’s lawyer, Kuo Hung-yi (郭鴻儀), said these landowners are affected because the city plans to acquire land to build flood walls along the Tamsui River in large blocks. He called on the city government to start a dialogue with residents about the development.

Kuo also said residents wished Taipei City could accept the ruling and not appeal. He said the environmental assessment process should be restarted from the beginning.

Taipei’s Department of Environmental Protection said it would discuss the ruling with its lawyers and would likely submit an appeal. Department Director Hsu Shih-hsun (徐世勲) said he understood the ruling was related to the planned sewage plant.

Taipei’s Land Development Agency said the reason for the ruling was unclear. It said it would discuss the verdict with the Department of Environmental Protection before deciding to appeal or revise the assessment.

Former Taipei Mayor Lee Tung-hui (李登輝) first proposed redevelopment plans for Shezi Island in 1979, according to CT Want. Various other proposals over the years included creating a legal gambling zone, a horse racing track, and “Taipei’s Manhattan” in the area.

Former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je proposed three development plans for the area in 2015, which he said could be completed by 2021. In October, Chiang said land acquired by the city would be cleared starting in 2027, and the redevelopment would take 14 years.

The interior ministry approved the scope of land acquisitions for the redevelopment project last year. The Land Development Agency held public hearings on the plan in March, and land purchase prices have not yet been agreed upon.