A bill to amend the Greenbelt Act reflecting the opinions of Gyeonggi Province has been proposed in the National Assembly.
Gyeonggi Province announced on the 8th that Representative Han Junho (Democratic Party of Korea, Goyang-eul) has proposed a bill to amend the Greenbelt Act, reflecting his suggestion to delegate the authority to lift restrictions on 1 million square meters of greenbelt areas not only to local governments outside the metropolitan area but also to those within the metropolitan area.
Earlier, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced in its '2023 Major Work Promotion Plan' released in January that it would revise the enforcement decree to significantly expand the authority to lift greenbelt restrictions limited to local governments outside the metropolitan area (from less than 300,000㎡ to less than 1 million㎡). Previously, under the 2016 Greenbelt Regulation Improvement Plan, the authority to lift restrictions on greenbelt areas of 300,000㎡ or less was granted to local governments nationwide.
In response, Gyeonggi Province submitted a proposal to the Council of Governors, the Central-Local Policy Council, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in January, arguing that it is unreasonable to discriminate against the metropolitan area in delegating authority while development projects are restricted under the Metropolitan Area Readjustment Planning Act.
However, Gyeonggi Province's opinion was not reflected in the revised enforcement decree, which will take effect in July.
Accordingly, Gyeonggi Province urged the National Assembly to prepare an amendment bill based on the following points: ▲ Since 2016, when the authority to lift restrictions on areas of 300,000㎡ or less was delegated, public projects for regional development (such as the 2nd Pangyo Techno Valley and seven other projects) have been promoted ▲ Among local governments nationwide, Gyeonggi Province is the only one applying its own standards, such as the 'Gyeonggi Province Greenbelt Lifting Integrated Guidelines,' to suppress excessive development and operate the system in line with public interest ▲ It is unreasonable to discriminate against the metropolitan area in delegating authority while it is already regulated under the Metropolitan Area Readjustment Planning Act.
Lee Gye-sam, Director of the Urban Housing Office of Gyeonggi Province, explained, "Gyeonggi Province currently applies its own standards that are stricter than national standards in terms of environmental conservation and public interest. Expanding the authority to lift restrictions to 1 million㎡ aligns with the authority for urban development and designation of logistics and industrial complexes, so we expect that ongoing local projects will be promoted more efficiently and swiftly."
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