Owner ordered to demolish building (7)

A former political adviser was ordered on Monday to demolish a villa he built after it was ruled an illegal building by the Beijing authority.

Zhang Biqing, the owner of the villa in Haidian district and head of a traditional Chinese medicine chain, is required to demolish the structure within 15 days from Monday, said Haidian chengguan, or urban patrol officers.

The house, on top of a 26-story apartment building in Renji Shanzhuang, was built of rocks, decorated with trees and bushes and covers around 800 square meters, according to a statement from the chengguan provided to China Daily.

As the owner of the house did not get prior approval from the government, the structure was ruled illegal by the Beijing construction authority, the statement said.

According to regulations, the district government has to order compulsory demolition of a building as soon as it is identified as illegal, said Wang Qiang, a spokesman for the Beijing Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

The compulsory demolition order has been filed with the Haidian government, the chengguan authority said.

If Zhang does not provide documents to defend his right to keep the villa or does not demolish it in the allotted time, it will be demolished by chengguan after government approval, according to a notice posted by chengguan on the door of the 26th floor apartment where Zhang lives.

The Haidian government declined to comment further on Monday on the case and China Daily was unable to contact Zhang for comment.

Neighbors have complained about damage to their pipes and walls due to the building's construction, according to a report in Beijing Morning Post on Monday.

At least two owners have moved because of disputes with Zhang over the building, the report said.

A tenant named Wang, who lives on the 20th floor of the building, said his house's ventilation pipes deteriorated after the villa was constructed.

Wang also said construction material falling from the building damaged parts of his car.

Chengguan officers said they had tried to contact Zhang about the building many times since March 2009 but failed.

A structure expert surnamed Liu from the China Academy of Building Research said an initial evaluation of a building design is required before beginning construction atop of an apartment.

"Without such a risk evaluation, the construction can be very dangerous to the whole building," Liu said.

According to Chinese regulations and laws, the structure and layout of buildings cannot be changed without going through legal procedures to get the approval of relevant departments, said Li Weimin, director of Beijing Weibo Law Firm.

"Neighbors' rights are violated by the noise and leaking problem it causes," Li said.

Residents can report the problem to chengguan and the municipal construction commission or choose to bring a lawsuit, Li said. 　

Another neighbor who lives on the same floor as Zhang said the illegal building may have entertainment facilities as he has heard loud music and many voices from there late at night.