TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taipei Dome will not have obtained the necessary permits to start trial operations by the October deadline, reports said Friday (June 24).

The project for a 40,000-seat stadium with offices and a mall in Taipei’s Xinyi District became embroiled in disputes about safety concerns between contractor Farglory Group and the administration of Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) soon after he took office in late 2014.

The developer had hoped to have the stadium ready for international baseball events in October 2022, However, the necessary permits from the central government have not arrived as yet so the trial opening was postponed until the end of the year, CNA reported.

According to city officials, the Ministry of Interior (MOI) had not approved the fire escape design plan, even though it had passed other reviews and been submitted to the central government in April 2021. The National Fire Agency was also still in the process of testing the smoke exhaust equipment.

Once the fire-related reviews are completed, the building permit will have to be revised before work on the project can continue. Farglory executives estimated the company might still need three months to complete the 7% or 8% of necessary work afterward.

Mayor Ko said his administration was following the law, but he wondered why the central government was taking so long in approving the project. Earlier, MOI officials denied allegations that the Democratic Progressive Party-dominated central government wanted to prevent Ko from presiding over the opening of the Taipei Dome before the end of his final term in December 2022.