Thursday 22 November 2012
It would be a tough sell for any estate agent – great transport links, but the view is admittedly a little uninspiring.
A new motorway in China has been built around a half-demolished building in the city of Wenling, in Zhejiang province, after a family that lives in the building refused to move.
Luo Baogen and his wife, are embroiled in a row over the amount of relocation compensation offered by the government, and are the only remaining residents.
All their neighbours have already left, but to ensure the couple are safe adjacent rooms in the property have been left intact.
The road paved through the Xiazhangyang village leads to the Wenling railway station and is not yet officially open.
Property owners in China that refuse to move for new developments are known as ‘Nail Householders’, in a reference to a nail that is difficult to remove from wood.
Laws in the People’s Republic of China have recently been tightened up and it is now illegal to demolish a property without agreement.