THE homeowner of a seven-storied building that stands opposite the Shenzhen North Railway Station is refusing government’s compensation to vacate what has been deemed an illegal building, the Daily Sunshine reported.

    The 53-year-old homeowner in Longhua New Area, Yang Meilan, became famous online after previous online reports saying she turned down compensation of 20 million yuan (US$3 million) in 2011. The building was supposed to be dismantled after the Guangzhou-Shenzhen High-speed Railway came into service. But Yang said the story wasn’t true. Yang and her eight family numbers, including her 90-year-old mother and 2-year-old grandnephew, all live in the building. Yang’s family spent 180,000 yuan buying the 120-square-meter land lot in 1995 and built the building in 2003.

    “I would move out if the government could compensate me with a house of the same size,” she said, adding that she doesn’t want money but a house for her family. Yang said her building wasn’t illegal as she has valid documents. She has filed a lawsuit at the Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court to prove her building’s legality and the court’s hearing is under way.

    The Minzhi Subdistrict Office’s spokesperson, surnamed Luo, said Yang obtained a construction land use permit in 1993, but the permit has a validity period of half a year, meaning the permit expired if the construction on the land didn’t start within six months after the permit was issued. Luo said Yang’s building is on land meant for roads and a green space for the Shenzhen North Railway Station. The staffer said there are nine buildings located on the involved land, and homeowners in six buildings have agreed to move out in exchange for compensation calculated based on their home size. The subdistrict office offers to pay 6,548 yuan for per square meter as compensation.

    Homeowners in three other buildings, including Yang’s building, refused to sign the compensation contract and they insist on exchanging their homes for same-sized commercial housing. An officer said the buildings are illegal, and homeowners can only be compensated with money. (Zhang Yang)