Homeowners in China were promised ‘park views’ but get a plastic lake instead

PETALING JAYA (Nov 21): Buyers of flats in Changsha, Hunan province, Central China were shocked to see a plastic lake when they collected the keys to their units over the weekend, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported Tuesday.

Beichen Central Park homebuyers expecting "park views" and “high vegetation cover” promised by real estate developer Changsha Shiji Yujing Real Estate were surprised to see a public area covered in a blue plastic material to look like a lake and a small timber bridge on the paving, Hunan Satellite TV’s City Channel reported on Sunday.

“So I’m supposed to be standing in the middle of blue water, which in fact doesn’t exist. There is no rock or plants,” one owner said.

Another area that should have been covered in grass had grass block paving with small patches of withered turf in yellow mud.

“We’re very unhappy about these grass block pavers. They’re usually used for driveways or car parks,” another disgruntled homeowner said, adding that they posed a danger to children and the elderly.

“But this is not the car park area. It’s the open area right outside each building gate, and they call it vegetation.”

The developer responded that it had never promised an artificial lake inside the community but SCMP cited its brochure had suggested a natural idyll.

“The days pass slowly, as if you’ve fallen into Peach Blossom Land,” the promotional material read, referring to an ancient fable.

The subdistrict office administering the community had organised a meeting with representatives of the owners and would work with fire and urban planning departments to solve the issues, the report said.