In the past month, there has been a significant increase in complaints about pigeon loft problems in the 12345 citizen service hotline. It was found that these complaints were closely related to rainfall during the flood season. Some citizens reported that the roof leakage could not be done as a whole because there was a pigeon coop on the roof, and it was difficult to dismantle; Some members of the public have reported that this year's heavy rains are often accompanied by strong winds, and the "sky pavilions" on the roofs of buildings are rusty, which will cause potential safety hazards......
Behind the small pigeon loft, there are not only many problems left over from history, but also insoluble neighborhood contradictions, which also makes the territory and law enforcement departments of "handling complaints immediately" in a dilemma.
It's hard to fill in the gaps
The rooftop pigeon loft makes it impossible to make the whole waterproof
In Building 303, Balizhuang Beili, Chaoyang District, the residents on the top floor have been troubled by the pigeon loft on the roof for many years. Since the pigeon loft was built 10 years ago, Mr. Zhang (pseudonym) and the pigeon breeder have been in constant quarrels, and the conflict between the neighbors continues to this day. This year's rain has caused the roof of Mr. Zhang's house to seep water again, and the walls are soaked and curled.
"The pigeons on the roof flew through the window in front of the stove in my kitchen, and the windowsills and windows were full of hair!" On August 6, as soon as the reporter entered Mr. Zhang's house, the old couple counted the daily impact of the roof loft. However, the most worrying thing for them at the moment is the problem of rain leakage. The old man took the reporter around the house, and there were traces of water seepage on the walls of the living room and the ceiling of the porch. Mr. Zhang said that every time he reported the problem of rain leakage, because there was a pigeon coop on the roof, he could not do the overall waterproofing, and could only be partially repaired, "but it didn't work, the roof was still seeping, so we hoped that the pigeon loft could be demolished soon, so that the roof could be waterproofed as a whole." ”
Mr. Zhang has been reporting on the relevant problems for a long time. The reporter sorted out the pigeon loft-related problems reflected by Mr. Zhang at different stages since 2022, as well as the feedback from the local streets, and found that after November 2023, the feedback from the territory is obviously different from the previous one - from actively coordinating with the planning department to promote the identification of illegal construction, to explaining that Mr. Zhang's appeal is unreasonable to a certain extent. Why?
"I received a call from the street comprehensive administrative law enforcement team saying that the pigeon loft on the roof of the building was going to be demolished and had to be re-waterproofed, and I was very happy at that time, and the problem of many years was about to be solved." The call Mr. Zhang mentioned was made in November 2023, but he found that the huge pigeon loft on the roof had just been demolished a few days ago, and the small pigeon loft was built again, and the problem of pigeons affecting life was still not solved. "I later learned that the newly built pigeon loft was built with a reel, and it was off the ground, so it was not an illegal building."
There are hidden dangers
The safety of the "castle in the sky" on a windy day is worrying
On the roof of Building 31, District 5, Tiantongyuan, Changping District, there is a group of pigeon lofts, due to the large area, some of them even poke out of the eaves, only supported by triangular iron, and the close view is like a pavilion in the air. On weekdays, residents report the most about the problem of health odor, but the recent strong wind and rain, the safety hazards hanging overhead make residents even more worried.
The pigeon loft is located in the top of Unit 3 of Building 31 in District 5 of Tiantongyuan, and on August 7, when the reporter visited the scene, he saw that many residents had "stopped and looked" when entering and exiting the building. An old man said that the pigeon loft has existed for many years, and now the iron mesh and triangle used to fix the support look rusty, and he is really worried about the danger of the pigeon loft falling. "In my opinion, this is a big illegal house, you can see it clearly across several roads, what if it falls down in a strong wind?"
After the residents complained, the feedback from the local government to the residents mentioned that the street comprehensive administrative law enforcement team went to the scene to check and verify that there was indeed a sun room built illegally on the roof of the building, which took a long time to build, and it was an illegal construction left over from history. In accordance with the principle of "gradual rectification of old illegal buildings", relying on policies such as the renovation of old communities, the governance will be gradually carried out in accordance with laws and regulations. Residents questioned that in this message, there was no mention of "pigeon loft", and it was impossible to know whether the pigeon loft was considered an illegal construction.
The reporter noticed that there are many sunshine rooms on the roofs of many residential buildings in the five districts of Tiantongyuan, and further observation found that the pigeon loft and the roof of the building have been identified as illegal sunshine rooms are closely connected. Residents said that if the sun room is demolished, it will be difficult for the pigeon loft to stand on its own, but the demolition of the sun room is not an overnight thing, and it will have to wait for the community to be renovated.
Difficult to dismantle
The pigeon loft becomes the "unspeakable hidden" of the street community
Mobile lofts, lofts with sunrooms...... On the issue of raising pigeons, the reporter interviewed law enforcement officers in many streets of the city, and the law enforcement officers mentioned that the current pigeon coop on the roof of the building has a strange shape, which has brought great trouble to the identification of illegal construction. In the process of sorting out the relevant appeals, the reporter also found a strange phenomenon - the pigeon loft seems to have become an "unspeakable hidden" in many streets, and the phenomenon of not mentioning it is reflected in the feedback information of many streets.
In April this year, some residents in Area B of Jinze Homestead in Dongba District, Chaoyang District, reported that the pigeon coop built on the roof of the building was very disturbing to the people. The territorial feedback said that no pigeon lofts were found in the on-site verification, "The reason for the presence of pigeons is that the environment of the community is too good." Residents do not agree with this statement.
In July, residents reported the problem again, and the feedback from the territory was different from the previous one. It mentioned that when residents reported the situation in April, through joint law enforcement, all pigeons kept on the roof of the building had been cleared. "I have seen the pigeon loft, it was installed by an old man in the building, the old man's ears are not very good, it is difficult to communicate, I just called the 12345 hotline. But the street still didn't say that there was a pigeon loft from beginning to end, as if I was not right, what can I do without a pigeon loft? ”
Some law enforcement officers expressed their helplessness. Some pigeon lofts encroach on the roof space, affecting waterproofing, and even pigeon breeders occupy the roof space to bring fire safety hazards, so most residents think that it is an illegal building. However, in the process of law enforcement, it is more difficult to determine that "the pigeon loft is an illegal building". Because the determination of illegal construction requires the assistance of the planning department, but according to the relevant statement in the "Letter of the Beijing Municipal Planning Commission on Assisting in the Investigation and Identification of Illegal Construction", planning permission is not required to be obtained for the construction of pigeon lofts.
However, the reporter inquired about the original text of the letter and found that among the four situations that did not require assistance, the exact reference to the pigeon loft only included "pigeon lofts outside the balcony". In other words, the rationality of the pigeon loft built on the roof and other public spaces remains to be further judged.
In addition, the management of the loft is not unavoidable. Article 53 of the Beijing Municipal Regulations on City Appearance and Environmental Sanitation clearly states that it is forbidden to build pigeon coops on the roofs, balconies and windows of residential buildings. If it seriously affects the city's appearance and environmental sanitation and the normal life of the surrounding residents, it can be ordered to demolish the pigeon loft.
Clever governance
Seize the opportunity to solve the problem of pigeon breeding
Is there really no solution to the pigeon problem? In the Xifengsi community of Changxindian Street, Fengtai District, the reporter found a special case. On June 21, some residents reported that the pigeon loft disturbed the people, and the local street comprehensive administrative law enforcement team demolished the pigeon loft in only three days, and the problem was satisfactorily solved. Compared to the dilemma of other streets, what is the ingenuity of such a swift action?
"The demolition took three days, but the work ahead took three years." When the reporter contacted the street and community, he learned that like other related cases in the city, all the problems were in the Xifengsi community. As early as 2021, there were residents who reported problems with the loft. There are many complaints about rain leakage in residential buildings, but because there is a pigeon coop on the roof of the building can not be waterproofed, in the case of no illegal construction, the street community repeatedly does ideological work with pigeon breeders, and it is three years to talk about it.
The staff said that during this year's flood season, they once again saw an opportunity to solve the problem. On the one hand, the residents reported that the residential building is nearly 50 years old, and the equipment and facilities are so old that they have to be repaired, and the work of the relevant parties is under pressure and motivation; On the other hand, as time goes on, pigeon breeders are older and less energetic, and it is difficult to take care of so many pigeons by one person. In this case, the parties finally got through the ideological work of the pigeon breeder, who removed the pigeon within a month, and the territory demolished the pigeon loft on the roof by means of demolition.
Reporter's Notes
Solving the pigeon problem is indispensable
"This can't be done brutally, even if there is a suitable law, it still can't be bypassed to do the ideological work of residents." Xifeng Temple community staff said. Similar to the work of Changxindian Street in Fengtai District, some streets believe that they should find the opportunity to solve the problem under the premise of continuous attention when dealing with the problem of pigeon lofts.
Building 129, Xizhimen South Street, Xicheng District, the pigeon loft problem has also plagued residents for many years, there is an equipment room on the roof, the pigeon loft is not far from the elevator machine room, some residents reflect, the smell of pigeon feces can be smelled in the elevator. The subordinate Xinjiekou Street has continued to pay attention to this matter and has found an opportunity when the community is about to usher in the stage of renovation of the old community. The community staff patiently communicated and finally got through the ideological work of the residents. "Now that the residents have signed the agreement, it will not be long before the renovation of the old community is confirmed to begin, and the pigeon loft will be demolished."
In this investigation, the reporter also interviewed many pigeon breeders involved in the appeal, most of them have the relevant qualifications granted by the pigeon association, and raising pigeons is not just a hobby for them. Mr. Zhou, a pigeon breeder, said that his pigeons are among the carrier pigeons released in Tiananmen Square at every major event. Speaking of this, Mr. Zhou looked proud. Mr. Wang, a pigeon breeder, even named each pigeon, and when he talked about the bits and pieces of the pigeons, the vigilance in his eyes when he first contacted the reporter turned into cordiality.
To solve the problem of the pigeon loft, not only the laws and regulations need to be further improved and clarified, and the obstacles of "difficult identification" should be removed, but the territory should also seize the opportunity to promote the work, and at the same time pay close attention to the various problems caused by the pigeon loft. In addition, it is necessary to empathize with pigeon breeders and pay attention to ways and means to do ideological work. In short, law and reason are indispensable.
Source: Beijing Daily client
Reporter: Jing Yiming