In response to urban environment plans and guidelines from the Suzhou government, Huaqiao is committed to strengthening the control of illegal buildings, putting more focus on the demolition of illegal buildings in urban fringe areas. In recent years, Huaqiao has explored various ways to crack down on all kinds of illegal construction to enhance the image of the city and ensure a safer living environment for the public.

During the process of remediation of illegal construction, the supervision department has worked with other related sub-districts such as street committees, community management committees and property owner’s committees to clarify methods thoroughly and publicize the policy to the illegal party, guiding them to take the initiative to dismantle illegal buildings.

In the first quarter of this year, authorities have stopped eight illegal structures covering an area of 1,077 square meters and dismantled 25 illegal buildings covering an area of 835 square meters.

Though the local government has strengthened the control of illegal structures and established a demolition tracking system, it is everyone's responsibility, at all management levels, to identify and address risks from illegal buildings and to minimize damage. The city supervision department will increase the enforcement to control illegal construction and stop such activities before they begin.