Building a Pickleball court on public land was fined 170 million VND by Vinh City People's Committee.
The project of Commercial and service area associated with housing and offices in Le Loi Ward (Vinh City) has more than 3,200 m2 of land for trees, sports, and cultural houses, but for many years the investor has occupied and used it as a specialized equipment storage yard and to build a Pickleball sports field.
Illegal construction
Mid-January 2025, conduct inspections of urban order and construction work in the area,People's Committee of Le Loi Warddiscovered that at the project of Commercial and service area associated with housing and office headquarters invested by Construction and Investment Joint Stock Company 492, there were some construction items on green land, sports and cultural houses that were not in accordance with the planning.
In response to this incident, the People's Committee of Le Loi Ward issued a document requesting the People's Committee of Vinh City to direct relevant departments and the City's Urban Order Management Team to inspect and thoroughly handle the matter.
On February 18, 2025, the People's Committee of Le Loi Ward coordinated with the Vinh City Urban Order Management Team to inspect the project of the Commercial and Service Area associated with housing and the office of Construction and Investment Joint Stock Company 492. Through the inspection, it was discovered that Construction and Investment Joint Stock Company 492 built a sports field with an area of 1,412.2m2.2(30.7m wide, 46m long) on land planned for trees, sports, and cultural houses.
Based on the inspection results, the City Urban Order Management Team has drawn up an administrative violation record No. 430/BB-VPHC against Construction and Investment Joint Stock Company 492. On February 19, 2025, the People's Committee of Le Loi Ward issued Document No. 63/BC-UBND reporting the inspection results to the People's Committee of Vinh City, requesting to sanction the violation and take measures to force Construction and Investment Joint Stock Company 492 to dismantle construction items that are not in accordance with the planning approved by the competent authority.
Based on Report No. 63/BC-UBND of the People's Committee of Le Loi Ward and Minutes of administrative violations No. 430/BB-VPHC established by the Vinh City Urban Order Management Team, dated February 26, 2025, the Vinh City People's Committee issued Decision No. 117/QD-XPHC to impose administrative sanctions on Construction and Investment Joint Stock Company 492.
Here, the violation of Construction and Investment Joint Stock Company 492 was determined to be: "Organizing construction work that is not in accordance with the approved planning for the work that requires an economic-technical report on construction investment at the Commercial Service Area project associated with housing in Le Loi ward, Vinh city".
Specifically, according to Decision No. 5491/QD.UBND-XD issued by Nghe An Provincial People's Committee on October 21, 2014 on approving the adjustment of the detailed construction planning at a scale of 1/500 (4th time) of the Commercial and service area associated with housing and offices in Le Loi ward, there is a construction item that is not in accordance with the planning content: Land for trees, sports, and culture including 1 Cultural House and 2 sports fields, but in reality, the entire sports field was built with an area of 1412m2.2(30.7m x 46m); the current status of the above project has been completed and put into use in 2024.
For the above violation, Vinh City People's Committee fined 492 Construction and Investment Joint Stock Company 170 million VND; forced to demolish the violating construction work. At the same time, Vinh City People's Committee requested 492 Construction and Investment Joint Stock Company to strictly comply with the penalty decision; if after the deadline, it does not voluntarily comply, it will be forced to comply according to the provisions of law.
Project 4 times planning adjustment
The detailed construction plan at a scale of 1/500 for the project of the Commercial and Service Area associated with housing and the office of Construction Joint Stock Company 492 in Le Loi Ward, Vinh City was approved by the Provincial People's Committee in Decision No. 2321/QD-UBND dated June 16, 2008.
According to Decision No. 2321/QD-UBND, on a land area of 21,132.52m2, the investor is Construction Joint Stock Company 492 will carry out the following construction items: 17-storey office building (construction area 1,250m2); 17-storey apartment building (area 3,469m2); 3-storey residential area (48 lots, construction area 4,811.89m2)2); 3-storey operator house (existing) (area 480m2).
Regarding the investor's responsibility, Decision No. 2321/QD-UBND clearly states: "The investor is responsible for implementing the project on time as registered. If the project is delayed, it will be handled according to the provisions of law."
However, in the following years, the project of the Commercial and Service Area associated with housing and the headquarters of Construction Joint Stock Company 492 was continuously adjusted to reduce the scale of investment.
Specifically, on January 19, 2010, the project's detailed construction planning was adjusted to 1/500 in Decision No. 195/QD.UBND-CNXD. According to this decision, the project no longer has a 17-storey office building; the apartment block is also reduced to 14 floors. Regarding progress, the Provincial People's Committee requires the investor to complete related procedures to start construction within 12 months and complete the project within 42 months from the effective date of the decision.
However, from 2011 to 2014, the project of the Commercial and Service Area associated with housing and the office of Construction and Investment Joint Stock Company 492 had its detailed construction planning adjusted 3 more times (Decision No. 4758/QD.UBND-DC dated November 4, 2011; Decision No. 1094/QD.UBND-DTXD dated April 1, 2013; Decision No. 5494/QD.UBND-XD dated October 21, 2014).
According to Decision No. 5494/QD.UBND-XD dated October 21, 2014, the land area for project implementation has a total area of 20,183.04m2; the 14-storey apartment building no longer exists; the land area for building townhouses increased to 6,524.8m22with a total of 59 lots; agency land has an area of 5,565.92m22Land for trees, sports and cultural houses is determined to have an area of 3,285.57m22; the rest is traffic land.
As with previous planning adjustment decisions, in Decision No. 5494/QD.UBND-XD, the Provincial People's Committee also requires the investor to fulfill its responsibilities: "... to preside over and coordinate with the Department of Construction, local authorities, consulting agencies and relevant agencies to organize field marking, announce, manage and implement the planning according to current regulations. During the implementation of the construction investment project, it is necessary to comply with the detailed construction planning approved in this decision, ensure the progress of investment implementation, fully perform financial obligations according to regulations and comply with current legal regulations on construction investment...".
However, observing at the present time, it can be affirmed that the Commercial and Service Area associated with housing and the office of Construction and Investment Joint Stock Company 492 is one of the housing projects in Vinh city that is weak in all aspects.
It is worth mentioning that the total area of 3,285.57m2Land planned for green trees, sports, and cultural houses for public service is being occupied by Construction and Investment Joint Stock Company 492, used as a specialized equipment storage yard and to build a sports field.
According to Vice Chairman of Le Loi Ward People's Committee Tu Hoa Lam, in the past, Construction and Investment Joint Stock Company 492 was also fined by Vinh City People's Committee for illegal construction (building a mini soccer field on land planned for trees, sports, and cultural houses). Around 2021 - 2022, when the project of Commercial and service area associated with housing and office building invested by Construction and Investment Joint Stock Company 492 was inspected by the Department of Construction, Le Loi Ward People's Committee reported the shortcomings of the project and proposed a final settlement.
"In January 2025, when discovering that the construction of the sports field was not in accordance with the planning, the People's Committee of Le Loi Ward directly gave opinions and requested to stop the investment activities. However, the opinion of the People's Committee of Le Loi Ward was not accepted, leading to inspection and punishment according to the law..." - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Le Loi Ward Tu Hoa Lam said.
