The Taoyuan Aerotropolis project is making significant progress on several fronts, including the rezoning of special agricultural districts, the holding of public meetings, and the selection of a project manager for construction of a third terminal at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TTIA), said Vice Premier Jiang Yi-huah.
At a meeting of the Executive Yuan task force for the aerotropolis project, Vice Premier Jiang gave instructions to move up implementation timetables on three particular tasks: urban planning and land acquisition, architectural development and construction, and industrial planning and business recruitment. The Ministry of National Defense was asked to lift the construction ban on a nearby naval base runway by June 2013, and the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) will aim to outsource infrastructure planning for the land around the naval base as early as 2014.
Regarding land acquisition, Vice Premier Jiang asked the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) to fast-track urban planning reviews for various special districts by the end of 2013 so that authorities can start the work of land expropriation and begin assessing above-ground objects. The target is to acquire land north of the TTIA for a third runway by the end of 2016, and to complete all expropriation tasks by the end of 2019. As for development and construction, the target is to have TTIA's third terminal open for trial operations in 2018, Jiang said.
Over the past two months, the Taoyuan County Government and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) have organized 10 explanatory hearings to inform local residents of the details and progress of the projects. The county said on average 400 to 600 people attended each session, with over 1,000 attending the meetings in Puxin and Juwei villages. Residents welcomed the establishment of the Taoyuan Aerotropolis but expressed concerns about compensation for expropriated land, according to the county government. The vice premier directed the CAA and Taoyuan County to factor residents' concerns into the planning process.
Taoyuan County will work with the CAA and the Construction and Planning Agency to open consultation offices in Juwei and Puxin on January 26 to help residents with questions. In addition, a survey will be conducted later this month to gauge the opinions of the area's 18,000 landowners.
Solid progress has also been made in terms of redesignating special agricultural zones for infrastructure use. At a meeting of government agencies convened last November 22 by Minister without Portfolio Yang Chiu-hsing, the MOTC was named the competent authority over such infrastructure projects as required by the Land Expropriation Act. The MOTC called another meeting on January 11 where it reviewed and approved infrastructure proposals submitted by the CAA and the Taoyuan County Government. The MOTC will submit its own plans to the Executive Yuan for approval by the end of the month.
In the area of TTIA infrastructure, the airport company has just completed contract negotiations with Netherlands Airport Consultants, project manager for construction of the airport's third terminal, and will begin on overall planning and project designs. With a flurry of infrastructure projects underway, the vice premier asked the airport company to speed up its tender process to find a general consultant, to be responsible for integrating multiple engineering plans and keeping projects on schedule.
Regarding industrial planning, over the past three months the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) organized three symposiums to measure the industry's views on business and investments in the Taoyuan Aerotropolis. Water and electricity topped the list of concerns, and Vice Premier Jiang directed the MOEA to submit a comprehensive plan addressing the issues at the next meeting.
In addition to commissioning the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research to study which industries or companies would be best suited for the aerotropolis, the MOEA also exchanged views on the matter with the Taoyuan Aerotropolis company and the Taoyuan County Government on January 3 and 7, respectively. In the future, feasibility studies and priority assessment analyses will be used to plan industrial development in the aerotropolis and these reports will be submitted to panel meetings quarterly for discussion.
Vice Premier Jiang also encourage government agencies to come together as a team to complete the review and approvals of all special zone projects by year's end. This will not only demonstrate the government's determination in developing the Taoyuan Aerotropolis but also help accelerate the nation's economic growth, he said.