On 23/5, Nguyen Luong Bang, Vice Chairman of Thuan Hoa Ward People's Committee, announced that the local authority had issued an administrative penalty decision against An Phu Minh Investment and Transport Co., Ltd.

The Hue Times Square project, located at 5 Le Loi, received a construction permit from the former Thuan Hoa District People's Committee. The approved plan included a one-story main building, 8 meters high, covering 400 square meters; a basement of 630 square meters; and a one-story auxiliary technical house, 3,75 meters high, spanning 62,5 square meters.

During an inspection, Thuan Hoa Ward determined that the developer had deviated from the approved permit and design. The main building's central atrium now features surrounding tempered glass panels and a transparent plastic roof, covering 410,8 square meters. Additionally, two elevator shafts were constructed, with the height from the top of the elevator to the foundation measuring 11,6 meters, and from the outer roof peak to the foundation measuring 12,2 meters, exceeding the permit by 4,2 meters.

Furthermore, the developer constructed several unauthorized structures not included in the original permit: a Katinat cafe spanning 236 square meters, built with an iron frame, tempered glass, and a canvas roof 3,5 meters high; a reception lounge with a similar structure; a one-story restroom of 67 square meters, constructed with brick walls and a concrete roof; a shrine covering 26,5 square meters, two meters high, topped with a 19,5 square meter wooden house featuring a glazed tile roof, 2,6 meters high, making its total height 4,6 meters; and four decorative pillars at the entrance outside the property, each 6,2 meters high with a diameter of 0,86 meters.

The Katinat cafe inside the Times Square complex was built without proper permits. Photo: Van An

The Thuan Hoa Ward People's Committee has ordered the developer to halt all construction activities. The company has 90 days from the date of the penalty decision to complete its application dossier for a new or adjusted construction permit. If the permit is not supplemented or adjusted within this period, the unauthorized structures will be subject to forced demolition.

Vo Thanh