Beijing will demolish 40 million square meters of illegal buildings in 2017, which will leave an estimated 3,200 hectares of land for the reservation for greenery and improvement of people’s wellbeing.

As of March 31, the city had torn down 11.8 million square meters of illegal construction, and all districts had filed the report on detailed accounts for their 2017 demolition programs. “The annual demolition task is expected to be overfulfilled if we keep such a momentum,” said the related official.

Various districts of the city have tackled some of the illegal buildings that have long been difficult to deal with.

The city has also issued what’s called “the strict policy in history” to tackle buildings with security risks. Under the policy, the public security force will shut down those buildings and talk to the related party. At the same time, officials responsible for the demolition program will work with public security and fire control forces to inspect areas with fire hazard.

Officials say Beijing is now in the “post-demolition era” when the focus has shifted from dealing with illegal buildings to manage areas left from demolition. The draft of “Beijing Urban Overall Plan (2016-2030)” has set a target for greening: By 2030, the city’s forest coverage rate will surpass 45 percent; per capita park land will reach 16.8 square meters in the built-up area; municipal greenway will reach 1,000 kilometers.

Up to now, the city has returned 1,357 hectares of land by removing illegal buildings.

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