Major setback for Central Taiwan Science Park

The ups and downs of Taiwan's science parks never seem to end--they just seem to get worse. Central Taiwan Science Park has just had its permit for the park's fourth phase (known as the "Erlin Park")  revoked by a court. This was the result of a lawsuit that had been initiated by local farmers. Since the government there has staked a lot on the growth of science parks, it's no understatement that this is a big setback for Taiwan's science park program. As recently as late last month, Taiwan's government website reported the country's president was promising "full support" for the Erlin project. Oops! Couple that with big layoffs of tenants and (mostly) down revenues at the country's major science parks, things are certainly not going well.

It was an interesting court ruling because it dealt not just with law issues but it also critiqued government policy. The Taipei Times reported that Taiwan's " ...High Administrative Court said in the verdict that the Ministry of the Interior, which issued the development permit, failed to consider that many science parks tend to be over-developed and that some of the nation’s industrial zones still have massive properties that have yet to be used. It is unnecessary for the government to spend enormous amounts of money to develop the Erlin Park."

It gets worse: “The development [in Erlin Park] will cause serious waste of the nation’s land and resources, compromise food safety and affect the nation’s sustainability,” the court said. “Revoking the permit will not contradict the public interest. Rather, the ruling would safeguard a major public interest.”

for more information: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2012/10/12/2003545001