Have regional plans been reduced to a corporate free-for-all? Gravel quarrying fears raised for Bagua Mountain

On September 4, environmental organizations from Changhua County gathered in the plaza outside the regional government offices to protest over the negligent content of the county government’s proposed regional plans. Fearing that the plans will become nothing more than a corporate free-for-all, environmental organizations are calling into question the list of committee members, which includes a number of CEOs from the business world.

Executive Director of Taiwan Water Resources Preservation Alliance (台灣水資源保育聯盟), Wu Li-hui (吳麗慧), said that despite Changhua County Commissioner Wei Ming-ku’s (魏明谷) solemn vow to prohibit quarrying on Bagua Mountain (八卦山), he has instead re-designated the mountain from a reservation zone to a development zone. This has raised fears that with just a simple approval, vast swathes of Bagua Mountain will be reduced to gravel quarries. 

Yan Shu-nu (顏淑女), Chief Executive of ‘Healthy Women Group (要健康婆婆媽媽團)’ is requesting that as the county government’s plan involves such a huge area, in addition to experts from the fields of architecture, landscaping, and urban planning, experts should also be recruited from the fields of health risk assessment, environment, hydrogeology, humanities, art and history. 

Have regional plans been reduced to a corporate free-for-all? 
Gravel quarrying fears raised for Bagua Mountain 
URL:https://www.peopo.org/news/286007 

(以下為中文對照)

區域計畫淪圈地計畫？ 八卦山恐成砂石山

9月4日上午，彰化縣環保團體聚集縣政府前廣場抗議，彰化縣區域計畫擬定內容草率，質疑委員名單包含工商界董事，恐將區域計畫淪為有利人士的圈地計畫。

「台灣水資源保育聯盟」常務理事吳麗慧表示，彰化縣長魏明谷在六月底信誓旦旦地與縣民宣布八卦山禁採砂石，結果在重劃八卦山風景區類型，卻捨「資源型」，以「設施型」作為使用分區，意指只需簡易審定，萬頃八卦山恐又淪為土石採取場。
 
「要健康婆婆媽媽團」執行長顏淑女認為，區域計畫涉及內容廣大，縣府不該只聘請建築、景觀、城鄉規劃等專家，要求縣府新聘委員應包含，健康風險評估專家，生態環境專家、水文地質、人文藝術歷史等專家。