When Yangon officials earlier this year demanded the suspension of 12 high-rises projects, telling firms to bulldoze floors they had already built, some in the city cheered.
The designs were said to flout urban planning rules which have been routinely ignored during the past few decades of rampant construction. And the new Chief Minister, Phyo Min Thein, wasn’t having any of that, it seemed.
Developers, however, were furious. They said the suspension was costing them millions of dollars and was bad for business in Myanmar, generally.
Now, after weeks of behind-the-scenes negotiations, the developers have got a reprieve, with officials announcing on August 21 that construction could continue, with just a few tweaks to designs.
Phyo Min Thein reportedly made the decision at a cabinet meeting last week, the Myanmar Times reported.
“We have told developers they can continue building under the terms of their original permits, but some need to make changes in accordance with commitments they have made to the chief minister,” U Than Htay, head of the Department of Engineering (Building) at Yangon City Development Committee, told the Times.
None of the companies will be required to knock down floors.
“We met with the chief minister and presented some changes that we agreed to,” Kyaw Kyaw, the developer behind Sein Lae Aung condo, told the Times.
He had been told to cut the number of floors from more than 12 to just six. Instead, he has agreed to make minor changes to the design and add parking space.
