Gov`t to lift Regulations on Housing in 8 Metropolitan Areas

A mega apartment building complex (4500 household) will be permitted to be constructed in the 8 nature preservation areas of the Metropolitan cities, such as Kyunggi Namyangju, Kwangju, Yeuju kun, Yangpyung kun.

In response to the critique that excessive regulations on the preservation for nature areas, which was implemented to preserve Han River’s water quality, create difficulties in development rather than preservation of nature, the Ministry of Construction and Transportation said that it has prepared ‘Reform proposal for Metropolitan area’s improvement policy’ and would be implemented in July after consulting other related ministries.

Oh Jang-Sup, Minister of Construction and Transportation said in a Donga Ilbo sponsored conference meeting with Yim Chang-Yeul, governor of Kyung-ki province, that ‘The government is actively examining proposals for lifting regulations on the nature preservation area to the extent that alleviation of regulations will not damage the water quality of the Han River’.

The Ministry of Construction and Transportation’s reform proposal allows the expansion of the housing complex size from 60,000 squares meter to 300,000 squares meter. According to the existing square measure standard, only maximum 900 houses (150 houses per 10000 square meter) can be built in one complex. New proposal was made possible due to the critique that regulations on building lots enable the construction of small size apartment buildings or tenet houses only, which do not have necessary facilities for water supply system, aggravating environmental pollution.

The Ministry of Construction and Transportation will plan to apply the reform proposal only to the cities and counties in which nature preservation areas are apart from Han River and ‘pollution total weight management plan’ is established. The places to which new reform proposal will be applied will be decided after consulting Ministry of Environment.

It is expected that large size housing development will grow in those areas in which the price of land was relatively lower than other place because only small size housing complex could be built.

Choi Jae-Duck, director of housing in Ministry of Construction and Transportation, said that ‘Regulations were indiscriminately imposed onto the nature preservation areas, although those areas were too far to affect the water quality of Han River’. He also said that ‘Once the reform proposal is implemented, civil petition will be reduced in those areas’.

Along with this reform proposal, Ministry of Construction and Transportation is also contemplating on the implementation of ‘Industry effect evaluation policy’, which will make a decision on dismantlement of factory, garage, and industry facilities after examining their effects on the area. This plan is under examination followed by the critique that since development plan has been implemented without understanding the real situation of the area, it only contributed to increase of unemployment rate by shrinking the industrial foundation.

jinhup@donga.com