The city government will urge local lawmakers to approve a law this year to protect the coastal landscape of Suzhou Creek and set limits on the number of high-rises that can be built, a senior government official said yesterday.

If passed by the Shanghai People's Congress, the law will also protect public parks along the creek.

"Efforts will be made to keep the riverside in good shape and turn the area into a sightseeing venue," said Wu Jiang, deputy director of the Shanghai Urban Planning Administrative Bureau.

A tentative plan from the bureau envisions the protection of some 21 kilometers along the creek, according to which trees and grasslands should be built within some 30 meters from the riverside.

In addition, developers would be required to construct new buildings at a distance equal to the building's own height away from the riverbank.

After the bureau completes an initial draft plan, the government will submit it to the Standing Committee of the Shanghai People's Congress.

Meanwhile, the government is urging owners of coastal buildings to open their gardens to the public.

More and more high-rises - mostly expensive commercial buildings - are taking root along the creek, which has had negative effect on the area's aesthetic beauty.

Five tall private residential buildings were recently built less than one kilometer from the creek in Putuo District. Each claims ownership of a certain area of the riverside, and none wants the public to have access.

Guan Zhuangmin, a member of the people's congress's standing committee, commented: "The city is in urgent need of a law to rule out those buildings that ruin the coastal landscape."

City Mayor Han Zheng warned in a recent meeting that those who illegally build along the creek will be severely punished.

The proposed law also aims to preserve historic architectural structures in the area. Among them, which number about 40 in all, are private homes, old factories and warehouses.

The Shanghai Brewery, built in the 1930s, will be renovated, as will the old Shanghai Flour Mill on Moganshan Road, which will become a new entertainment center.

(China Daily March 4, 2004)